#and there are definitely points to be made about that and how motherhood is not bad and is often inextricably linked to womanhood etc.

[pettyprocrastination]

whoever this beloved anon was I am so touched by your kindness! You definitely didn’t have to do this but I am so happy you enjoy this idea and I will happily expand upon it for you!

this is just a collection of word vomit bullet points for the time being but I will happily answer any and all questions about this pair!!

warnings: violence, angst, child death (Sarah Miller), foul language, the same warnings that apply to tlou, reader is Sarah's mom and described as having similar features to her. 

So the general Idea is that you and Joel are happily married before the outbreak. 

You had been Sarah's mother, his high school sweetheart he got pregnant when neither of you were old enough to have any reaction to the pregnancy test other than a fucking panic attack in one another’s arms. but you made it work 

you both worked but made time for one another and your sweet girl, going to museums every other weekend and joel insisting on swooping you off for a date every now and then 

nothing special. He knows you’re more of a diner gal than anything too fancy that makes you both feel out of place. 

On his birthday in 2003, you had planned to tell him that you were pregnant again. But the memories of your own fears of motherhood from all those years ago begin to swirl through your head again and you get cold feel. deciding to tell him the morning after

it is his birthday afterall, you want to focus on him. 

but when you’re woken up in the middle of the night because tommy needs to get bailed out, Joel kisses you sweetly one last time before promising he’ll be back and you can’t shake the feeling that something bad is happening. 

its you that shakes sarah awake that night. shouting at her to put on her shoes when she’s still rubbing the sleep from her eyes because you’ve been listening to the radio for the past two hours, calling joel again and again and again praying for him to fucking pick up but to no avail. 

Sarah, bless your little girl’s bleeding heart is the one who insists you check on the adler’s against your better suspicions and when you find the eldest looming over her daughter, blood and sinew dripping from her mouth, you grab your daughter hand and burst into a full sprint until something slams into your back and sends you tumbling onto their front lawn

its how joel finds you, struggling to keep the once sweet old woman, whose now nothing more than dead eyes and gnashing teeth straining to snap at your pulse point as you push against her while sarah shrieks before your husband runs forward and cracks her skull with a wrench. 

there’s hardly a moment of pause, just enough for him to pull you up and into his arms before he’s ushering you both into the car with an urgency. 

when the truck crashes, you get separated from them. Perhaps at Tommy’s side when the flames rise and create a wall, separating you from your husband, or maybe pulled into the mob of chaos when trying to escape from those already infected-

all joel knows is that you promise you’ll find him: just get sarah to safety and you’ll meet him at the river

Poor thing is already so frightened, held in her father’s arms with tears streaming down her face insisting they can’t leave you they just can’t but her father kisses her forehead and reassures her its going to be okay 

“we just need to be brave, okay babygirl? Your mama’s real tough, she’s gonna be alright.” 

he isn’t sure if he’s saying it to his daughter or himself. 

but when he comes to the river you aren’t there. Only a soldier who points a gun at the scared little girl in his arms and then he loses everything

its when the light is gone from his daughter’s eyes that he realizes. His voice cracked and raw from sobbing that he looks around to see his brother with drawn in shoulders and tears in his eyes but his wife is nowhere to be found. 

Tommy says you got lost in the chaos. Everything was so loud, so sudden that he turned around and suddenly you weren’t there. 

Joel wants to go back but its Tommy that stops him, that dulls the red in his vision to a sad faded pink because his brother points at the orange horizon not too far from them, so much of the city is already in flames. 

“We’re gonna find her, but not there.” 

So Joel searches. for the first year spent in the world post-outbreak its all he did. 

He became a smuggler because of it. 

Information came at a price and he needed to be able to fucking pay it, whether it be in blood or ration cards. He was willing to do anything to find you or any thin thread that lead your way. 

But it’s Tommy that asks him to give up. Not in those words of course. 

The youngest Miller knows better than to say something so cruel that would make his brother, the only person he has in this world turn on him. 

But his voice is worried when he asks him one night in Boston when he hasn’t even had the chance to wash the blood from his knuckles 

“You think she would have wanted this for you?” 

the fight that followed his words was brutal. Vicious insults and scarred fists slamming against each brother until they're both too tired and bloody to continue. Each leaning against a wall for support and Tommy’s wavering voice breaking the silence. 

“I don’t know where she is, Joel. But I do know you're gonna get yourself killed if you keep lookin’ for her.” 

All he can do is nod. 

It’s a few days later when he meets Tess. Who has heard plenty of stories about the elder miller’s brutality and wants him to put that muscle to good use for some extra profit. 

It begins his new life. One that empty and cold but one he can live. 

Until of course, Ellie comes along. The sweet and incredibly opinionated girl that makes him become something akin to the man he thought died twenty years ago. 

its when he’s traveling with Ellie, that it happens. When a warm familiarity has settled between the two because so much blood and pain has been shared he can’t help but see her as something close, something bright even though all he can force himself to utter in her reference is “cargo” 

when theyre traveling through the woods as Ellie chatters away, probing his memory about a movie that may or may not have existed thirty years ago because her descriptions of the plot are incredibly odd he hears a voice shout for them to stop and finds himself staring at a man- no, a boy- pointing a gun at them. 

Ellie stills, but Joel can see enough to know that from the lanky figure and dimpled face that he’s young. Maybe twenty, twenty-two at the oldest, but his eyes dart from Joel to Ellie with a pinprick of fear that allows Joel the time to charge forward and slam him to the ground before wrestling the gun from his hands. 

He has enough to time to tuck it under the stranger’s chin before he hears the sound of the safety being turned off and finds himself looking up and seeing a gun just inches from his face. 

Joel’s head whips around when Ellie’s voice calls out his name in fear, he turns to see another stranger holding her a gun point, shoulders drawn back and a shadow cast over their face by the had obstructing their identity. 

“You hurt one of mine, I hurt one of yours. That a fair deal?” 

Its takes him a moment to recognize you. It’s been so long since he’s heard your voice, the sweet tease when you would poke at him each time he woke up late despite the fact that you reminded him to set his alarm the night before, the times you’d chide him with a harsh “Joel Miller!” whispered in public anytime he was able to grab you a bit too passionately to be appropriate in public but the laughter in your voice let him know you were never truly mad at him. You didn’t know how to be. 

But that sweetness is buried under a cold rasp that cuts through the air as you point a rifle at the scared little girl in front of you.

“You think I won’t?” You’re older now, skin covered in scars from a life he didn’t know you got the chance to live and your eyes are cold as they regard your husband. “Put the gun down and get the fuck off of him, I won’t repeat myself.” 

Joel mumbles your name in awe. The woman he loved, the woman he mourned the one he fought so hard to find stands before him like some sort of hallucination and suddenly the world feels like its spinning until you bark orders at him again. 

“You’ve got five seconds Joel, make a fucking choice before I make it for you.” 

He looks down and realizes the boy under him, the one with the bleeding nose and snarling face has your eyes and his dimples. 

“One.” 

The one above him has Sarah’s hair. Soft brown curls that shine under the sun. 

“Two”

Wait. No, they both do.

“Three.” 

Twins. Jesus fucking Christ you had twins. 

“Four.” 

Joel holds the rifle up above his head and the one boy standing snatches it from his grasp, tossing it to the ground and kicking it far from his reach. He slowly stands, allowing your son- dear god your son- to scramble to his feet. 

Your voice softens just for a moment. “You okay, Duke?” 

Blood stains the bottom half of his face from where Joel slammed his fist into the boy’s nose just moments before, but he nods nonetheless. 

Now, they both stand on one side of you and he can see the resemblance clear as day the same way he would whenever Sarah was by your side.

When you order him to hand over his bag, he does so without question before telling Ellie to do the same. 

She watches him with wide eyes, her hands still up in the air but gaping at her companion as if he had grown a second head. 

“Joel!” “Just do it, alright?”

He doesn’t miss the way you watch their interaction with narrowed eyes until she tosses her bag to you and you slowly lower your gun. 

“Now, you want to tell me what the fuck you think you’re doin’ at my home?” 

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #i had an idea of something similar for tommy but on outbreak night he uh. abandons you instead of getting separated from you #because. angst :D #people say nice things #this was incredibly generous of you anon thank you so so much! #i may get myself a little starbucks drink this week now because I havent had starbucks since like january 1st lol #joel reeling from taking in all this information and also realizing he suckerpunched HIS OWN KID #id like to apologize for all the grammatical issues with this. this is just a bulletpoint word vomit to get my thoughts on the page before- #-beginning the actual fic. also I have to do a midterm tonight and this is my treat to myself hehe #but yes. joel getting separated from his wife on outbreak night and having to accept that shes probably dead #meanwhile youve lived this entire life without him because you think HES dead ad raising your boys all on your own #which just- further digs into his insecurities about failing in his role as a protector #he couldn't save sarah. he can't save ellie and he couldn't even save you #he thinks about you pregnant and alone. fending for yourself in a world full of infected and raiders and his chest grows tight again #this is all followed by Ellie going >:O 'you KNOW THIS PSYCHO?'and then joel immediately snapping at her to WATCH HER MOUTH #because that kid has no filter and he has to explain that youre his wife #anyways joels wife is a badass mfer who also maybe has a little garden and some chickens that you and your boys take care of <3 yeah . #reunion tag #ill be using that for this specific couple because I dont have a fic title yet but if anybody has suggestions!

[yoursinfulurges]

House of Metals

Martell!Reader x Aemond Targaryen

Summary: Some say the greatest battle a woman could ever face is motherhood, you on the other hand think that's bullshit... You're not so ready to trade your sword for an infant.

Your ethnicity is not specified and your features are never fully described, finally in this part we talk about your fucking giant snake.

Can be read as a oneshot but if you wish to read the previous parts my masterlist is pinned on my profile!

Word count: 4k

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Heaving a great sigh as you sat your place on the bed, you looked around the room in melancholy. The arid atmosphere was palpable, suffocating your skin and drying you out under the harsh environment. Furniture serving as more decor than anything else sat idly around your chambers, prompting a frown to befall on your face. You didn't know what caused such bitter feelings to blossom in the bellows of your stomach, but it all didn't feel right. 

Though honestly nothing truly did these days. Not your dress, not your hair, not the place you were supposed to call home. It all felt empty somehow, cold and lacking of comfort in every sense. The familiarity of the desert dunes no more as you come to recognize the Red Keep as your new definition of normal. It had been over a year now since you left the comforts of Sunspear, and despite having a hard time adjusting you were making it by. But with the constant pressure that oppressed you daily, living had been less than bearable. Preferring to spend your days in your chambers had become a constant routine now because of it.

You've always had a certain distaste for motherhood. The idea of spending nine long months carrying a child was something you never saw yourself enduring. Whilst you could never harboured animosity towards a defenseless child, you detest being so helpless, so debilitated. They say there is no greater battle than motherhood and childbirth, you begged to differ... 

Seeing yourself as a weapon shaped for combat, not a helpless maiden meant to spend her days locked up. The very idea of being bred never sat right with you. Opinions aside, you could bear the long months in wait of a child. At some point such fate was bound to happen but the gods have not blessed you yet. You knew it was your duty to provide the realm and Aemond with an heir, further carrying out the bloodlines of your great houses. And secretly, it would be rather nice to have a tiny version of the man you adored so much running around.

What a gift that would be. 

It was the societal pressure urging you to conceive children only for the good of the crown that you loathed so much. You would not bring innocent lives into the world just to have them be political vessels. Having experienced a life full of prejudice and misogynistic behaviors yourself because you were not born a male. That was a fate you did not want for your children. Growing up it had been hard to understand why you were treated so, but over the years the veil wore thin and people became more vocal for their distaste.

It was no secret that your mother had a difficult time conceiving, so with her healthy in mind your father thought it'd be best to stop trying for another. Leaving you as an only child, much to everyone's disappointment. You'd grown up with this treatment and have found your own ways of coping with it but as expected the Crownlands had their own ways of living. You knew this and have prepared yourself for it when you agreed to leave Dorne with Aemond. Though you had never expected them to have such backwards views on women. Had you have known you would have never left... 

Not that you'd reveal such thoughts to Aemond now, seeing that he was rather content and happy with being back home. So over the months you kept your mouth shut. You did not tell him how Queen Alicent already made preparations for a nursery, and never would you open your mouth about the rumours that circulated you both. How "battle had made you infertile" as the ladies in court claimed. Silly toothless assumptions with no backbone, you'd brush it off. But the callous words the men of the city watch whispered about you were seared onto the walls. Something along the lines of "the gods have finally punished the sand snake for her indulgence." You didn't know that meant but it bothered you... Regardless how the words annoyed you so, you'd endure it all just to see your love at ease... 

He was much happier here. Familiar and so well versed in the secrets of the palace and you cannot take that away from him. Despite the fact that this place was more of a hell hole than what meets the eye.

As it would seem, here in Kingslanding the only path for a woman is to be a highborn. A highborn meant to breed out heirs for their lord husband. And not everyone was rather pleased with your reputation. You've seen how they've mistreated women, powerful women like the princess and queen. And you've seen how they just stood there and took it. Whilst yes, you had no place to speak on how they ruled here you often found yourself shaking your head. If this was Sunspear you would never allow for such disrespect... however you were not in Sunspear... you were in Kingslanding and your duty, as said by many, was to produce Aemonds children. 

A duty you're not overly content with... Not ready to sacrifice your freedom just yet but it would seem that everyone expects it from you. Although it was not in your nature to go down without a fight. Deep down, you aren't opposed to having children, it was the idea of being just a mother that you hated so much. You wanted to be known for your glory and days in battle as the Queen of Dorne. Not Princess Y/n Martell, wife of Aemond Targaryen.... They used to call you the jewel of the desert and now you're known as nothing but the prince' barbaric wench. Your victories meant nothing here and without a child you meant nothing here... 

The thought made you uncomfortable in every sense, picking at the stray threads of your dress as you succumbed to the negative thoughts. You knew it wasn't wise to dwell on such ideas but it had been eating away at you for months on end now. All of it was so suffocating, you needed room to think, to breathe. Hence why you've chosen to lock yourself up in your chambers instead of facing the music. The overbearing sounds of gossip and chatter proving to be daggers in your ears. You know not how much longer you can endure the anxiety, having it consume your being till you're constantly on edge. 

You don't doubt that with the coming months, Queen Alicent's insistence on you producing a child would become rather imposing. And although you knew she meant well with the good of both houses in her heart, you felt like you were dying of asphyxiation. All of it was so smothering. The useless small talk with noble women, the constant need to uphold an illusion. You often found yourself biting back your tongue and making sure you acted appropriately for the sake of image. Perhaps in truth, the only thing that could tear down the House of the Dragon was itself. Image was of great value here, so you've observed. The Targaryens were not perfect people, you never expected them to be but it was evident there was an underlining problem they tried to avoid desperately. Though you do not know what they were so afraid of, you stood in your place and did not get involved. 

It was rather puzzling to see a not-so-happy family try and act the part in front of the public. Back in Dorne the Martells never had to keep up such false illusions, you were peaceful people that truly loved one another. And despite your love for your dear husband, it was clear that the Targaryens were selfish people, all focused on themselves. You felt like a fish out of water and truthfully it was frightening. Your family had always been transparent with one another but here it would seem that everyone was divided in their own factions. All consumed in what they have to gain, moving in secret behind each other's backs. Was this the way of the dragon? Vulture and ophidian. Your father had always taught you that respect needed to be earned. Yet here in Kingslanding everyone demanded respect. And you weren't gifted with the patience to handle arrogance. 

Especially when it came from the mouths of the undeserving. How dare they speak such words about you. Your face twists into an ugly frown, suddenly turning angry and vengeful. Why were you the one hiding in your chambers like a meek prey? So caught up about frivolous gossip. Were you not the crowned heir. Suddenly you felt ridiculous, a myriad of emotions tackling you to the ground, constricting at your air ways like a boa. Malice, retribution, anger, spite. You felt it all, everything igniting the flames of your fury. They have no right to speak to you in such a way when they have not walked in your shoes. Perhaps all the suppressed emotions had finally over spilled but you suddenly couldn't find it yourself to give a fuck anymore. It was Aemond that truly worries you, what would he think of your newfound revelation. In his eye everything had been going so well, you were getting along with his mother and sister and in truth you were. But it came with the cost of losing yourself. 

"So deep in thought, my lovely wife... Helaena informed me that you weren't at breakfast today, may I ask why?" A voice calls out from behind you, causing you to turn and smile at the sight of your love. Making sure to do your best in erasing the remaining scowl on your face. 

"I didn't feel like eating this morning." Uttering the words plainly, you began walking towards him. It was true, your appetite had decreased tremendously these past coming weeks, only eating once or twice a day. 

"Again? That's the third time this week. Perhaps we should alert the Maesters..." Aemond says in concern, grabbing a hold of your hand to pull you out of the room. Immediately retracting your hand from him, you slap his grasp away when he tries to reach for you again, laughing at his silly behavior. 

"Nonsense! It's nothing truly." Shaking your head in a dismissive manner, you urge Aemond to sit by the fireplace. He lets you guide him, looking at you with a squinted eye as he tries to read your expression. You don't meet his gaze, finding it hard to for whatever reason. 

"I care about your well-being." He nods his head, finally yielding and taking his place on the armchair. Humming absent-mindedly to him, you brush a few stray hairs away from his face, taking the opportunity to observe his shape. He looks tired, more so emotionally than physically. It worried you to a certain degree as you knew he had a planchette for putting others needs first. Aemond pulls you down onto his lap by your waist, causing you to sit sideways on his thighs as you continue to fuss about his dishevelled shape. No doubt he just returned from dragonback. Your emotions from earlier dissipating.

"I am well." You say shortly, fixing the collar of his riding coat. 

"Hm...... I missed your old ways of dressing." Aemond hums in suspicion but says no more about it causing you to narrow your eyes at him. Looking down briefly to observe your gown, was there something wrong with it? You will admit it was unlike you, the dress thick in material compared to your fond silk and linens. The heat in Kingslanding was much more forgiving so you had decided on a dress with a high collar and long sleeves. 

"I thought it would be more proper if I adapted." Speaking the words simply. Not everyone cared for the way you dressed, deeming it as provocative. It was best to sacrifice your familiarity in exchange for sewed mouths. Although now you don't really give a fuck about others opinions, but Aemond grew up with these people and you can not have them thinking such crass things. It would tarnish his reputation and your honour. Gods forbid Aemond Targaryen beds with a snake. 

"Since when did you care about being proper?" His tone is much harsher now, the hostility directed at you foreign on his tongue. 

"Aemond...." You gave him a warning. You would not argue about this. 

"I do not want you to lose yourself, my jewel. Tell me, what troubles you?" You retreat within the confines of your mind at the mention of the name, my jewel. It’s hard to look him in the eye as the truth spills out, allowing yourself to be vulnerable to him. 

"It's just... I miss home.... I miss being treated like the heir, like the future Queen ---instead of a vessel meant to just produce. I know that makes me sound like a babe but I cannot stand being viewed as a property." 

All the worries, the fire, the hate, the insecurities it all comes spilling out from your mouth. You cannot do this anymore, you cannot keep pretending you are just his wife when you knew deep down you were meant for much more. Perhaps you had failed him in providing a child, but you cannot keep deceiving yourself that you were happy with the role you were given. Never would you question your love for Aemond but as the days drag on you begin to slip into depression. The darkness captivating you, swallowing your soul till you were nothing but a shell of the woman you were supposed to be. Your identity was not your own, feeling like a marionette dancing in the shoes of a doll. Being controlled by society and expectations. 

"Who prompted these emotions, my wife? Is it my mother? Is she bothering you?" Aemond panics for a moment, grabbing ahold of your hand to steady your shaking figure. You were visibly not well, for a while he's had speculations of your unhappiness and had tried his best to stand by you, but to hear the words from your mouth urges him into action. Aemond was aware of his mother's overbearing presumptions about you being of child, but he never thought it was to the point where you had begin to question your value. 

"No, no! Aemond it's not her, it's no one." Clarifying to him quickly, your heart melts at how protective he got immediately. 

"It's just... I am not ready to trade my sword for an infant... I would love to have your children! But I don't just want to be their mother. I want to be Queen of Dorne, I want to be remembered for me." Opening up to Aemond was no easy feat but you allow your walls to break down, revealing your inner most desires. 

"And you will be my sweet, regardless of whether or not we have children I never want to take away your weapons from you." The way he said weapons alluded to something much more, perhaps he was implying to power, you weren't certain. 

Aemond was aware how important it was for you to be in control of the dagger, and he would never make you give that up. You wield such great spirit and to see you so uncertain wounded him. He knows not who filled your head with such poison, extinguishing your fire but he would have their head for it. Aemond had never seen you like this, your once head strong persona gone and replaced with so much doubt. It hurts him, his heart aching as his mind searches for a way to make you feel better. 

"I truly do want to have your children...." The words came out as a whine without your intention but they were riddled with the absolute truth. 

"There is no rush, I do not blame you for drinking the tea." He looks at you with a soft gaze, now mirroring your gestures and tucking a few stray hairs away from your face. 

"Perhaps it is time to stop..." You have been drinking the moon tea for quite some time now. Not knowing when or why it started but it became a mutual understanding between you and Aemond. Or at least, if he had a problem with it not once did he speak on them and protested. 

"Perhaps it is time to go back to Sunspear. I've been thinking about it for quite some time and it would be better for us..." Eyes widening immediately at that, was he truly willing to sacrifice so much and make that decision for you? 

"Aemond I cannot ask that of you..." Shaking your head in protest, your eyes plead for him to think more carefully. 

"You aren't, I've decided on my own. You've sacrificed so much only for the people of the court to induce such poison in you, they do not deserve to have you. We'd be far better off at Sunspear." With a simple nod, he seemed so definitive about his decision. 

"What of your duties?" Raising a brow at him you question who would fill his role. 

"My duty is to be your husband, and if being here is hurting you then we can go at once. Aside from my mother I have no emotional ties with my family, unlike you. You left everything behind without question when you married me, you even left behind Nymeria... I can't even imagine if I had to leave Vhagar like that...." 

Your heart pounds at the mention of your beloved snake. Nymeria was previously deemed untamable, until she bowed to you... She was an old soul, having been around since the reign of her predecessor, Princess Nymeria herself. Over the years she moved unchallenged, growing large enough to circle kingdoms with her body. Nymeria was about the same size as Vhagar but three times longer, her skin black in colour serving as a warning to those that dared try her. 

They called her a monster, a great beast but she was neither of that. To you she was a dear friend, you were her first rider and it hurt to abandon her like that. But the journey to Kingslanding had its complications so it was best to leave her be. A bond with a snake was similar to a bond with a dragon, your souls interwoven with one another. Although Nymeria was intelligent she was an animal and she could not comprehend why you left her so. To feel her confusion and loneliness everyday had been agonising. 

The pain was almost enough to make you agree to Aemond's words, but you wanted him to understand the consequences of his absence. Yes, it filled you with great joy that he was so willing to leave at your command, his oblation not only comforting but also displaying his devotion to you. But he must be aware of what his hecatomb may bring. 

"Aemond." You warned once more. 

"There you go again, putting me first. I truly think this would be better for us, and who cares about princely duties when I will be king alongside you. We can fly back to Dorne at sunset and be there by morning on Vhagar, just say the word." His hands caress your waist, as if trying to persuade you and the more you think about it the more he made a point. Perhaps Kingslanding didn't need you both at all, Aegon and Helaena were here and although they were a little inadequate, Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon were just across the sea. You and Aemond would be better at Sunspear, and you were certain he would be treated right... 

"Maybe you're right... But tonight is too soon, we need to get our orders in affairs first and alert the king of our decision." Giving in to his proposal, you rose from his lap, beginning to pace the room as you continued your sentence. No doubt the king would want to give you guys a proper send off but you and Aemond would need to make it known that you'd prefer to leave silently. 

"That is best... And who knows, maybe once you're more comfortable we might actually start trying for a baby." Affirming your words, you turn to face  Aemond. The knowing look on his face implied that he wasn't just jesting, contrary to his tone. 

"Are you content with raising our children in the desert?" He smiles at your words, recognizing the woman he fell in love with. It had been a long while since you both had spoken to one another like this, the playful banter reminding him of your first meeting. 

"The desert made you lethal, they could use the life experience." Your husband held his head up high proud, certain that your children would be skilled in the ways of snakes with the roar of a dragon. 

"They'd be absolutely brutal, Aemond." 

"Perfect. The finest soldiers all of Westeros will ever see." He was rather sure of that fact, all this talk of raising children with you had made him yearn for a large family. Kids with your best aspects. And though he's never thought much of it since your wedding night, if you were willing to, he'd be more than happy to start a family with you. 

"Can you imagine it.... our children riding dragons and sand snakes." You whispered fondly, imagining a world you could build with Aemond. Giggling to yourself silently at the thought of little children having both a dragon and a giant snake by their side. By the gods, your offsprings will be terrorists... Though determining how that will be handled would have to come at a later date, for now you're content with just imagining. 

"I hope they have your hair..." Aemond spoke softly after a few moments, it was barely audible, the soft smile on his face prompted one to form on yours. 

"My hair?" It sounded so outrageous, why would he want your children to have your hair? You'd think he'd hold great pride in his silver mane. 

"Mhmm, it would be a change for once." You open your mouth to say something but the words get lost on you. Instead deciding to just look at him, oh how he was your entire world. You'd give your all just to make him happy. 

"Please do not say you hope they have my eyes." Aemond speaks, breaking you from your train of thought. 

"I wasn't!" You yell at him, laughing at his outrageous words. 

"The look on your face says otherwise, my dear." He's laughing with you now.

"hm... have you thought of names?" You prompt him as you start walking towards the bed. 

"Viserra and Vaelor." You think on it for a while, liking the way it rolled off your tongue. 

"Hmm.... Viserra and Vaelor, I love it..." Turning to face him, you catch your husband breaking into a grin. 

Finally settling in on an emotion you haven't felt for many moons, peace, as you watched the man you love so much get lost on the thought of kids. There was something rather touching about how open you both were to one another right now, and it makes you think. How did we get to here? Yes your marriage was entirely political but over time you had come to be grateful for what you and Aemond had.

To uncertain partners raised on different sides of the coin, to acquaintances greedy for one another's body. Eventually betrotheds figuring out the idea of love, and now this... Lovers planning a family. Maybe this was love, the imprint someone makes inside of your soul, the happiness they evoke from within you, how your whole world revolves around one another. Your story with Aemond was great and you couldn't have asked for a better tale. The promise of the future lingered in the air as you welcomed mirth with open arms. 

So he was not prince charming, but you did not care. Aemond Targaryen was a paradox made up of all the good and bad in his family. And it had been an honour to walk alongside him. Suddenly the fears of what hardships your children would have to face becomes irrelevant. It would not matter because you knew that you and Aemond will always be there to care for them and protect them. You were certain he would kill a hundred men that dared disrespect you or your daughter. Even take up the title kingslayer if your dignity was challenged.

To you Aemond was much more than a man with grey morals. He was your other half, he was your heart. And you were his jewel, you were the sapphire of his eye. A dragon and his snake. Although the future was uncertain it was clear that you were meant to burn together. A man inflamed with the abuse he experienced and a woman scorched from the fire she inflicted. Destiny had its plans for you both, a vortex of fate cradling your love as if it was the universe itself. You would create a safe haven for your children to come and burn any that tries to hurt them. Though they would not need the protection for long seeing as though they will be yours and Aemond's kids.

How your children would be absolute nightmares to the crown. You pray for the entire realm...

Part 1 Part 2 | More to come in the future....

Authors note:

Sorry for the late update, my best friend and her boyfriend broke up and I had to emotionally support the both of them until he showed up at her house and got kicked out for trespassing 🥺 Jokes aside, that's a true story, anyways if this flops I'm throwing eggs at old people. I'm not overly proud of this part but this opens up a gateway for me to write about yours and Aemond's kids.

- Armoni

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond imagine #aemond one eye #aemond scenario #aemond smut #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen fanfiction #aemond targaryen fic #aemond targaryen fluff #aemond targaryen smut #aemond fanfiction #aemond x y/n #hotd aemond #aemond targaryen one shot #aemond targaryen scenarios #aemond x reader #aemond x you #aemond oneshot #aemond fluff #aemond fic #aemond targaryen angst #aemond angst #aemond the kinslayer #hotd imagine #house of the dragon #house of the dragon aemond #house targaryen #hotd fanfic #team green #house martell

[murfpersonalblog]

Thanks for tagging me @little-desi-historian! ❤️

YES, all of this takes me back to something I wanted to touch a lot more on in my original post when it comes to the historical male image, Percy, Lestat, and Matadors; because it truly does link back to how AMC is playing with dandyism and society's expectations about effeminate men.

Dandyism is a form of resistance culture. As I've said before, Lestat flouts gender norms because HE CAN do whatever he wants & get away with it. His androgyny's on a different level: effeminate or masculine, he's still a vampire, a SUPERnatural creature elevated beyond the bounds of social mores that determine what men & women could or SHOULD act/dress like. MANY people across social media have pointed to Lestat's limp wrists, long blonde "Barbie" hair and ESPECIALLY him dressing in drag in Ep7 as proof that he's the "wife/mother/woman/femme fatale" in Lousta's relationship, and THEN claim its either gender essentialism or homophobic/racist to say Louis is CANONICALLY female-coded one in BOTH the books and show (as AR said so). But no, Lestat in drag was a power move, because he doesn't care what anyone thinks/says/does--he'll just eat them. Mockingly eating the baby in a dress was a deliberate bastardization of motherhood/womanhood. Louis is called every homophobic name in the book by those expecting the black man to just take being insulted, but MARQUIS de Lioncourt DEMANDS being crowned KING of Mardi Gras, Krewe of Raj, & he'll show you exactly what he thinks about your silly homophobic hypocritical human society: You're just "the MEAT," let them eat KING Cake--you're his FOOD. Eff y'all, I'm dressed to KILL you, & laugh doing it.

Lestat's behavior is not only derived from the time period he was born & raised in (the Rococo era of so-called "effeminate" high class dandies--a la Percy Blakeney, etc). Lestat is the embodiment of PRIVILEGE: a powerful rich white male vampire, who leans into being foreign/French White to excuse anything he does that people find strange/off/unnatural/dangerous--all the red flags. 🚩🚩🚩

And red flags brings me directly back to matadors/toreros.

@toscrollperchancetomeme

😂 TYSM! Sam Reid dropped so many juicy deets; I couldn't resist! There's so much depth to the Matador outfit, beyond the gendered aspect of bullfighting that I discussed before. Let's go back to what Sam said about Lestat, and delve deeper into matadors:

The most iconic apparel worn by toreros ("bullfighters") / matador de toros ("killer of bulls") in Spanish bullfighting is the Traje de Luces, the "Suit of Lights." The colors are usually bright & vivid, as part of the showmanship & pizzazz. Darker palettes are less common, as shiny sequins (the luces/lights) became part of the standard fit.

However, Lestat's all-black Matador outfit from what Sam called the "villain sequence" in Ep5 seems to be loosely following the style of a different but very closely related outfit, the Traje Campero "Rural/Countryside Suit" aka Traje Corto ("Short Suit").

(These costumes are typically worn during ceremonial parades and a very specific festival I'll get back to in a moment, cuz it's important.) Unlike the Suit of Light's sequins & silk, the Rural Suit is made of suede, leather, or velvet, in dark muted colors. The pants can be light or dark, striped & patterned, with or without chaps (also found in gentleman's uniforms of military officers and cowboys).

The trajes originated from "the flamboyant costumes of the 18th-century dandies and showmen involved in bullfighting, which later became exclusive to the bullfighting ritual." (Wikipedia)

The ancestor of both trajes (luces/campero) is traditional 17th-19th century Andalusian clothing (Andalusia being the home of Spanish bullfighting), closely associated with a very particular type of masculine dandyism. (The campero/corto is also the costume worn by Andalusian male flamenco dancers.)

"Before the 17th century the profession of bullfighting did not exist as such, and the fighters did not wear luxurious & shiny trajes de luces, but instead normal clothes of the time according to the social class to which the bullfighter belonged. The first bullfighter trajes de toreros appeared in the 17th century, when professional bullfighters from Navarre & Andalusia wore characteristic garments with their gangs to participate in performances and thus differentiate themselves from other bullfighter bands." (translated/truncated from Spanish website)

In the mid-1700s, Francisco Romero revolutionized professional bullfighting by establishing the first matadors who fought on foot, heroically fighting the bull face to face with swords & the muleta (iconic red flag) in a dance-like performance, dressed in a suede/velvet coleto (jacket), a precursor to the traje campero. Romero (from a carpenter family) wanted to show off & stand out from the nobility, and changed the game entirely, through a form of social resistance-turned-innovation.

"At that time, bullfighting on horseback was more important, which was considered a sport and not a show. Bullfighting on foot was not yet widely recognized." (translated from Spanish website)

Bull-killing on horseback was practiced by Spanish noblemen, attended by lower class assistants on foot. Romero was the first to make on-foot matadors the stars of what was increasingly becoming a dandified show/performance/dance. Matador Joaquin "Costillares" Rodríguez introduced even more showmanship, competing against Francisco Romero's grandson Pedro Romero (famously painted by Goya--bottom right).

For his matches, Costillares (middle) dressed in flashy silks, threaded in shiny silver braiding; the precursor to modern traje de luces. Like Francisco Romero (left), Costillares wanted to show off & stand out; and revolutionized the male image of the bullfighter through clothes.

In 18th-19th century Andalusian Spain there were 2 types of dandy: the French-imported upperclass petimetre (effeminate dandy), and the indigenous working class majo (masculine/macho dandy).

Noyes, Dorothy. “La Maja Vestida: Dress as Resistance to Enlightenment in Late-18th-Century Madrid.” The Journal of American Folklore 111, no. 440 (1998): 197–217. https://www.jstor.org/stable/541941

The majo, like many dandies, became the peak of Andalusian fashion, across all social classes; and torero/matador outfits weren't the only ones to take cues from them:

18th-19th century majos "distinguished themselves by their elaborate outfits and sense of style in dress and manners, as well as by their cheeky behavior. The majos outfits were exaggerations of traditional Spanish dress. The style stood in strong contrast to the French styles affected by many of the Spanish elite under the influence of the Enlightenment. Majos were known to pick fights with those they saw as afrancesados ("Frenchified" – fops)." (Wikipedia)

The majos' flamboyant/cheeky/saucy/exaggerated behavior was aggressively masculine; a lower/working class resistance to social mores imposed on them by (foreign) elites, whom they saw as more feminine, and FOUGHT against, to reaffirm their masculinity. These dandies were violent, brazen non-conformists; as beautiful & stylish as they were dangerous. And matadors/toreros knew that the bullfight was the perfect arena to exemplify the spirit of the majos through the dandified performance art/sport of killing bulls--a universal cultural symbol of masculine prowess & strength. Spanish bullfighting used to belong solely to the aristocratic equestrian sphere. Lowly pages/assistants like Francisco Romero (dressed in the precursor to the Rural/Countryside Suit), were the first to buck the system by killing bulls on foot--he likely didn't own a horse. The Romeros were from a carpenter family. Costillares was the son of a butcher. But through bullfighting they gained social status and became icons of masculinity--and dandies.

Lestat--the nouveau riche son of a poor country marquis--insists on being all the beautiful things he is without apology: masculine & effeminate alike. But like I said, it was no coincidence that Carol likened Lestat's Ep5 villain outfit with matadors--he's fighting Louis for dominance in their household, and reaffirming his place at the top of their very gendered social hierarchy, as a warning to BOTH "the housewife" AND "the prodigal daughter" he feels are threatening his authority as their Maker, so he defeats them BOTH.

Carol Cutshall initially designed Lestat's matador pants as pajamas--loungewear. (Lestat's CASUAL & comfortable in his ability to KILL--matador means "Killer" in Spanish--and remember what I said about Louis & Claudia being put on the same parallel level in Ep5, when Claudia's attacked by "Killer" aka Bruce.) Sam said Carol made several versions of the pants; and yup, they're foreshadowed in Ep5 when Lestat first starts arguing about Louis' depression, then they pop up again in Ep7 during the Murder Plot--two instances @dwreader brilliantly linked Lestat (& Stanley Kowalski) wearing wifebeaters. (Listen, Carol, I just wanna talk.... 😅🔫)

And here's my last points about Lestat's matador outfit. First there's the irony of Lestat (who grew up poor in rural France) wearing the something very similar to the matador/torero's Rural Suit, traje campero (aka Short Suit (traje corto)). But what's more interesting is that that type of Short/Rural Suit is usually only worn during special festivals called the Tienta ("trials"), not the regular corrida ("bullfights").

These Tienta are trials for young and immature bulls to be tested in the ring, to see if they're fit for breeding/fighting. 🤯 FLEDGLINGS. And who's Lestat's young bull? "Built-like-a-bird" Claudia. Who's the immature bull? The "biggest rat eater of them all," the under-developed "botched" vampire Louis. During these trials, veteran matadors can show off their skills; and novice bullfighters are shown the ropes and prove themselves. Like I said: the matador wins again.

God, even the way Lestat dragged Louis' bloody body out of the courtyard by the jaw/neck resembles the way the defeated bull--bled out & stabbed in the neck--is dragged by the neck out of the ring.

And remember what I said about Lestat and FOOD. Cuz what happens to the bulls after the matadors kill them? They're sent to the slaughterhouse to be butchered for FOOD. People EAT the bulls.

So yeah, my whole point in this post and my first one is not to sleep on guys like Lestat, Percy--or even other famous dandies like Valmont from Dangerous Liasions/Cruel Intentions (mentioned by both @little-desi-historian and @dwreader)--just because they're effeminate--especially when they're emulating mannerisms from a time period where the model of what made a fashionable gentlemen/good breeding/elite society did NOT match modern expectations about gender. People are getting distracted by Lestat's yaasified manner, not what the show itself is signalling through the relationships he has with others.

This show is deliberately painting Lestat as a villain through Louis' & Claudia's perspectives, as they were the ones who suffered under his Reign of Terror. The symbolism behind the matador-inspired costume used in Ep5 reflected gendered social hierarchies embedded within bullfighting culture (in Spain, women only started being allowed to fight in the 19th-20th centuries). Dressed in clothes resembling that of a matador, Lestat beating & defeating Louis mirrored the defeat of the emasculated bull, and the reification of the victor's masculine prowess at the top of the foodchain.

#the vampire lestat #lestat de lioncourt #male fashion #fashion history #gender inequality #read a dang history book #operation matador #iwtv tvc metas

[strangesmallbard]

i’m seeing such takes about the baby lmao. smiling happy shauna with her living baby was in the dream world—the same eerie dream world that offered jackie warm cocoa and the acceptance of her best friend, that ghost laura lee/the Wilderness made sure lottie left. we don’t know a lot about the dream world, but we know it offers warmth, nourishment, and simplicity. cloth mother, if you will. (there’s a connection between the dream world + accepting nourishment + death that someone pointed out already, but i’m pivoting away from there right now.)

but like, we never see shauna with a living baby in the real world, trying to feed him in the freezing woods, knowing she cannibalized her best friend’s corpse for the chance that he would live. we also haven’t seen her recovering from the first birth—she could very well still get postpartum depression. in-between scenes of the dream world and the birth, however, we do see shauna as a parent to a living child; she’s resentful, she’s full of guilt all the time, she loves callie but never wanted to be a mother. it comes down to that.

shauna is an 18 year old who just gave birth to a dead baby in the most traumatic circumstances. she never really processed the fact that she’s giving birth to an entire human child. there’s also some fucky supernatural shit afoot. i think it’s perfectly aligned with what we know about shauna—and like, birth hormones—for shauna to be devastated when taissa hands her a dead baby. she didn’t want him, but he’s dead and she almost died, and she feels like not wanting this baby literally killed him. she would have likely had a real abortion back home. this is literally traumatic stress.

i feel like i’m repeating myself, but i keep seeing posts that deride yellowjackets for having shauna express any love for that baby as if the writers are promoting tradcath motherhood, when the show literally shows the psychological ramifications of forced birth. i do wish there was slightly more body horror (side note: if you’re craving a body horror take on pregnancy, i highly recommend the new dead ringers remake) but tl;dr yellowjackets is definitely not writing a story where shauna meeting her baby would have inspired a newfound love of motherhood, stopping her resentment or any other negative emotions. the supernatural elements + the adult shauna scenes work in tandem to create a pretty nuanced depiction of birth, motherhood, and all the complexities therein.

(i’m also hesitant to equate feelings about fiction to feelings about real life situations, but i do think it’s uhhhh. a bit callous? to go “yayyy no more pregnancy arc i hate babies! shauna should be more relieved smh” like we recognize how traumatized these girlies are but won’t extend that to shauna and childbirth? hmm)

#shauna shipman #yellowjackets #yellowjackets spoilers #yell.txt #childbirth cw

[borderlandsresearcher]

MK Girlies as Moms x Reader 💙🩷

(Kitana, Mileena+Tanya, Cassie Cage)

CW: pregnancy, motherhood, gn reader, poly relationship mentioned, not proofread, I am not a writer!!!

TW: slight mentions/references to death in Mileena's section

(A/N @ the bottom as always)

Kitana

*As a young girl, Kitana had always admired her mother for the caring and gentle role model she was.

*When it was Kitana's time to embrace motherhood, she did so with little to no fear. Not only was she confident in her abilities as a mother, but knew that if she ever needed help, that she has a supportive family and an entire kingdom of willing subjects to fall back on.

*Would most likely have twins if she were to give birth (that's genetics mama).

*Kitana didn't need to do half as much research as you did before your child(ren) was/were born. Motherhood was seemingly natural to her; waking up in the middle of the night completely unbothered to deal with the crying baby-- laughing anytime the baby spit or spewed-- cleaning up their messes without protest...

*Despite this, Kitana was exhausted. While she made it seem effortless, she needs the extra help more than anything.

*Because of Kitana's willingness to hide her true emotions, especially from those she loves, you had to sit her down and convince her that you don't mind splitting the responsibilities.

*There were days when you had to basically force her to take a break, tattling on her to Mileena so that she could relax under the empress's orders.

*Kitana always wants to be around her children. She loves everything they do, cheering them on at every opportunity.

*Definitely the type of mom to cry when their baby rolls over for the first time.

*Takes them for walks around the palace gardens, pointing out different plants and insects to teach them about.

*Every night at bedtime, she will either sing them a song or tell them a story. Each song she sings and story she tells all have to do with their ancestors and the lessons their lives had to teach.

*She wants them to be in touch with the land from whence they came, the same way her mother did. Although this can cause her to be strict at times.

*The older her children got, the stricter she was. Kitana will fully expect her child to marry an Edenian. You will have to call her out for being hypocritical if you are not Edenian and still married.

*Is an overall amazing mother, but sometimes needs a reminder that she's deserving of the same love she gives.

Mileena x Tanya x You

*Three parents? Y'all are good fr.

*Whether you decide to adopt or conceive, your children will be loved beyond comprehension.

*Mileena also greatly looked up to her mother as a child. But ever since she was infected with tarkat, her mother seemed to grow distant, favouring Kitana over her.

*She ensures your children will not face the same fate, loving them all equally and splitting attention between parents.

*Unfortunately, for the longest time Mileena refused to let her children sleep seperately from the three of you. This is due to the trauma she still holds from losing her father, even if he as returned, it still runs deep.

*She becomes such a softie for her kids.

*Will spoil them with clothes made of expensive fabrics and toys made of gold. She's excessive AF.

*She entrusts Li Mei with training them in Kombat when they are of age.

*As for Tanya, she is always telling them stories, even if they don't fully understand yet. (Y'all her voice is soothing af fr)

*Cries tears of joy when they call her "mama" for the first time. She has never felt a love greater than this.

*Knows that she is raising the Empress's heirs, so she can be quite strict at times.

*Politics are a thing your children are familiar with from a young age.

*Mileena and Tanya know how exhausting life in the palace can be, so every so often they allow you to take the children into the city for a day out.

*The three of you are great parents, the perfect balance of emotional availability and strictness. Your children grow up knowing they are supported.

Cassie Cage

*As much as she loved her mother, she always felt that Sonya could have been more attentive as a parent.

*Cassie will be more like Johnny and treat her child like royalty, giving them nicknames like "prince/princess".

*Unlike Johnny, however, she takes her time to plan out her/your pregnancy. She has baby fever like crazy, but still takes the time to make sure the two of you are mentally prepared to carry such a heavy burden.

*Will go to her father and uncle Jax for advice.

*Goes crazy when doing baby shopping, bringing a whole new meaning to overconsumption, especially if she's the one whose pregnant. Will nest like crazy.

*She would most likely be in her mid 30's-40's when she chooses to have a baby. Earthrealm still needs protecting!

*TONS of pregnancy photos posted onto social media but refuses to post her child's face anywhere, even if it's private.

*Cassie does not want her child to be a part of the SF. Will do everything she can to shield them from violence. She will, however, teach them self defence and how to shoot a gun.

*Jacqui and Takeda are the godparents <3

*She's the fun, party parent, and promises to always be her child's best friend.

*She still dishes out discipline, but makes sure to first hear them out no matter how angry or bratty they are being. Refuses to yell or grab her child in any way. Much prefers to talk things out and acknowledge each other's emotions. You often find the two deep in intellectual discussion.

*Johnny is best grandpa!!! He will take your child out for little dates around LA, making a game out of avoiding paparazzi. Spoils tf out of them. They want that Gucci teddy bear? He's buying five. They want to do sport or music? He's paying for every lesson. He already has a college fund set up for them the moment you and Cassie announce you're pregnant.

*Cassie loves her dad jokes. They are nonstop, and even worse when Johnny is around to encourage her!

*She is an amazing mother and wife, always making sure everyone around her (including herself) are stable and healthy.

---------------------------------------------------

A/N: I fucking suck at this shit

Hope y'all enjoyed! I only really had ideas for these four, so hopefully that's okay :)

I'm not much of a writer, so your support means a lot to me! Thanks to all of those who like/reblog/comment. It means a lot :)

Let me know what you think! I take constructive criticism!!!

#always read content/trigger warnings! #mk1 #mortal kombat #mortal kombat 1 #mileena x tanya #johnny cage #mk1 mileena #mk #mk1 kitana #mk1 tanya #mk11 cassie cage #cassie cage x reader #mortal kombat x reader #mk11 x reader #mk1 x reader #mk1 x you #gn reader #mk hcs #mortal kombat headcanons #mortal kombat kitana #mortal kombat x you #mk1 headcanons #i am not a writer #mortal kombat universe #nrs #edenia #mk1 sindel #mk1 jerrod #mortal kombat cassie cage #mkx cassie cage

[dancingwiththeplanets]

Wolffe Pup

Commander Wolffe x fem!reader

masterlist

Summary: You introduce a very timid Wolffe to your adopted daughter and it's love at first sight.

a/n: I've decided to make my annual reappearance with no explanation as to where I've been and a 5k Wolffe x fem!reader story to melt your hearts. Enjoy ;)

Your fingers fidget anxiously with each other. The platform is busy. Of course, it’s always hectic the first few hours after a campaign, but maybe everything seems busier today with all the thoughts racing through your head. 

Today was the day Wolffe was going to meet your babygirl. Your sweet, little Aurora.

The thought brings tears to your eyes. She's everything to you, that bubbly little thing. The biggest cheeks, toothless smile, and deep brown eyes that somehow remind you of Wolffe’s. 

He wasn’t even a part of your life when you went through the adoption process. Or even when you’d finally taken her home. You and Wolffe met a few months into your journey through single motherhood. You were young, yes, but stable enough in your job, and always yearned to care for a little baby and give her all the love someone else couldn’t.  

Wolffe never pushed for you to share your daughter’s life with him, and you made sure to give yourself the time to get acquainted with her first. To build the bond and love between you two, even though you felt it from the first time you held her. And Wolffe was so patient and understanding with you wanting to take your time introducing him to Aurora. But at the same time, you shared so much with him because you knew he loved it, and it just warmed your heart how calm and attentive he was, with a little smile on his face, when you showed him pictures of her little growing body and shared with him how she was doing. You knew he already felt like she was a part of his life. 

So here you waited, nervously. Biting your nails now. You’ve tucked yourself into your corner, the ‘safe place’ Wolffe designated as yours long ago, saying it was too chaotic in this place for you to ever be wandering around searching for him and vice versa. Though you have a sneaking suspicion his orders have something to do with the time he found you surrounded by a bunch of his flirting troopers- shiny’s, obviously- far away from your agreed waiting point that time. That’s not a mistake any knowing trooper would make with the Commander’s girl. And unfortunately for them, Wolffe didn’t seem to care that Boost had definitely put them up to it, snickering at the shiny’s petrified faces as their Commander marched in their direction and fortified himself in front of you. 

You really did try not to laugh. But they did look like they’d just found out they were committing treason or something. It would have been extremely funny if you didn’t catch sight of that frightening scowl on Wolffe’s face as he turned away from them, before softening it to a look of concern. 

“If they bothered you, I’ll assign them to hard labor in the cargo bay for 10 months, not 5. Just say the word.” 

“They weren’t bothering me, Wolffe.” You smiled, encouraging the frown to disappear from his stern face. 

He let out a huff, “Well that makes one of us.”

Your cheeks tug upwards just thinking about him, about how irritated he’d been with the men– pretty furious actually. Shouting out retributions and threatening to sanction them all to Fox for prison guard duty. He’s truly not that harsh though. You were held tight under his arm, wide-eyed and shocked by his reaction as he shouted, to the point where you had to intervene and tell him it was just harmless fun. His gloved fingers were firm around your arm, unhappy eyes softening as he looked at you regrettably before finally yelling at his troopers to get lost and whispering something to you about encouraging them too much. 

The memory makes you giggle, and warms your cheeks as you remember to relax and just wait for your Commander to come by for you. Butterflies in your stomach and a shy smile on your face, it’s hard to contain your giddiness, you’re just so excited to see him… It’s a special day. 

You finally spot a distinctly marked helmet emerging from the crowd. Not quite the trooper you were hoping for, but you’re pleased nonetheless. Where there’s a Boost, there’s usually a Wolffe. 

You smile brightly at the trooper as he approaches, thankful to see that he’s made it home safely. You know how much these boys mean to their Commander. 

He raises his hand up in an awkward wave, looking a little stiff as he walks over to you and pulls off his helmet. You would be concerned about his behavior if it weren't for the smile that he tossed your way, albeit laced with discomfort.

You raise your eyebrows at him in a ‘what did you do now’ manner, assuming Wolffe’s tardiness is because of him. 

“Uh, hey vod'ika.” He says, coming to a stop in front of you. 

“Hi Boost, successful mission?” You ask, smiling politely.

“Yeah, um, look…I need to apologize for… something,” He says, his hand raising to nervously scratch at the back of his neck. 

You frown a bit, confused but ready to let him say his piece, “Okay?”

“It’s uh, about Wolffe.”

He hesitates, eyes darting up and down like he’s having a hard time maintaining eye contact with you. You give him an encouraging nod, attempting a small smile again despite the pit in your stomach growing bigger, “Okay?”

“It’s just that, uh,” He clears his throat, adjusting the hold on his helmet. “Well w-we knew the Commander was, uh,” Another grunt to clear the windpipe, “Just, uh, that he was going to be meeting your-uh…your daughter,” This time he coughs, seeming to struggle with the admission, “Uh, you know, whenever it was that we got back, that is..”

The smile was wiped clean off your face halfway through that sentence.

“Okay.”

You can see the panic flashing in his eyes, noting your less than pleased reaction already, but wanting to quickly explain the situation, “And..um… well we may have given him,” Another cough, “A little bit too hard of a time about meeting her.”

Insult and defensiveness immediately boils your blood, your frown quickly morphing into a scowl, “What about meeting my daughter?”

His eyes widen immediately, “Oh! No no - osik - no, it’s nothing like that, it's just- ah,“ He sighs, covering his face with both hands and grumbling curses in Mando'a. “Look I’m so sorry it’s just… he was all excited and-”

“-I know he was excited, is he not anymore?” You ask, anxiety and worry making you sound more angry than shaken - which you definitely feel.  

Boosts face morphs further into panic at your distressed reaction, quickly raising his hands in a harmless motion, “No! He's been so looking forward to it! Beaming with pride, ma’am..” He rushes, sounding desperate. “But we… the pack I mean, uh…we may have sort of insinuated that… well that…”

“That what?” You ask, sounding more hurt now. 

He winces, his voice sounding small as he mutters, shamefully, “..that your baby would burst into tears at the sight of his face.” 

Your mouth hits the floor, utterly mortified, “You what!” 

“We’re so sorry, vod’ika.” A second remorseful voice speaks behind you. You whip around to see Comet, approaching you slowly and looking like a kicked puppy.

“C-Comet! Boost! You know how insecure he is about his scar!” You snap, your own nerves getting the better of you. “What in the galaxy did you say?” 

“It was harmless teasing at first! Honest!” Boost defends, jumping back in. “Just stupid stuff about wearing a baby harness over his armor and being a dad and…and he laughed along at first, seemed to like the teasing actually..the boys caught sight of his datapad and, look it was just harmless teasing!”

You sigh, trying to level your disappointment and anxiety. “What’s this about his datapad?” 

“His..? Oh, the picture of you. A-and your daughter. Ma’am.”

“Her name is Aurora.” You grumble, the sadness growing in your chest. 

“Right,” Comet says, a hand coming to rest on your shoulder. “Aurora, that’s a beautiful name.” He says, an apologetic and guilty smile on his face. “She’s beautiful vod’ika.” 

Your heart tugs a little at the words. She is. The most beautiful. 

“Well I know that.” You still scoff, though your temper calms down a bit. “Wolffe..showed you a picture?”

Comet rubs the back of his neck, nervously looking at Boost, “Not exactly, we grabbed his datapad when we caught sight of the resting screen image. Sorta, passed it around out of his reach.”

“Which picture?” You ask reluctantly. Wolffe saved a picture of you and Aurora as his resting screen image? When had you even sent him one?

“A very beautiful picture.” Comet smiles, “the two of you cuddling or something. She’s laughing.”

Your heart flutters. 

Oh, that picture. 

On his last excursion you’d woken up to a message he’d sent after you fell asleep. The 104th had decided to head out early the next morning into a droid-heavy sector on an already hostile planet. You knew you probably wouldn’t be hearing from him for a few days, which was enough on its own to keep you seriously on edge without the added risk, but he promised he’d be careful and told you he loved you.

You didn’t even think twice about pulling your babygirl up close and snapping a photo. Come home safe to us, you wrote. It was you and your Aurora…she had a big smile on her face as you tickled her, her ear gently caught between your teeth as you bared them like a rascally pup chewing on its favorite toy. It’s one of your favorite pictures of the two of you ever, so silly and tender at the same time, Rory shining front and center in that one, and he set it as his datapad screen.. 

You couldn't help the little smile, just imagining him shouting orders in the strategy room or walking through the hanger holding the datapad, image flashing to life every time he lifted it in his grasp.  You have no doubts, you want that man in your little girl's life. 

These thoughts bring you to sigh, before scowling at the boys in front of you. These di’kuts. You know deep down how much Wolffe has been looking forward to this. It was something you never would have expected from the hot-blooded Commander. You’re not even sure he realized how invested he was in what you had. You think most women venturing into single parenthood would feel confused, maybe threatened, meeting a man who so desperately wants to be a part of little Aurora’s life in any way you shared with him, even if he tried to suppress it and not put that on you. 

He was so patient and understanding with you wanting to take your time introducing him. But at the same time, you shared so much with him because you knew he loved it, and truthfully it just warmed your heart how smiley he would get when you showed him pictures and told him how she was doing. You knew he already felt like she was a part of his life. 

Which evidently now was a problem. “You guys,” you sighed, rubbing your hands over your face, “This is not good I-I don’t know what to do-“

“Please, please, don’t be mad at him if he’s weird, vod’ika,” Comet pleads, bringing you back to the moment, and reminding you that now, you were extra pissed. “It was our fault! You-” he sighs, pain filling his features, “-You should have seen his face when the words left Sinker’s mouth, we got in his head.”

Boost groans at Comet’s words, distress covering his face at the apparent horrific memory. 

“What exactly did he say?” You grit, still not sure if you’re feeling more defensive over Wolffe or your baby right now. 

The two look at each other, deciding who has to be the one to say it. Comet, being the youngest, gets the short end of the stick and crumbles under his brother's glare. 

He sighs, defeated, before speaking, “That the second the baby was in Wolffe’s arms and she got a good look at his scar and the eye she’d burst into tears kicking to get away from him and then his eye would have one of those stress malfunctions and twist around in weird directions before smoking so he’d have to pop it out and then he’d drop it because he’s so uncoordinated and it’d roll on the floor so he’d have a gaping hole in his face which does actually look very frightening and he’d be trying to catch his robotic eyeball as it rolled on the floor and she would be so mortified and scarred that she could never look at him without screaming again.”

The two are silent as you process the words. 

You can’t even say anything. Hands rubbing your eyes and slowly trying to catalog the damage in your head, before sighing, exasperated. You look back up at the boys, both of whom have their heads hung low and regret painting their features, having relived the admittedly vivid horror story concocted by their brother. 

“Right. And where. Is. Sinker.” You demand. 

“Hiding from you, ma’am.”

—————————

Thankfully, Wolffe met you with the same loving embrace and press to your forehead that he always did after a mission. 

Everything was reassuringly normal, until you got into the lift of your building.

“Um…Wolffe?” You ask calmly, noticing the nervous tap of his fingers against his belt, each gloved finger making a loud, tacky noise of resistance with the contact, echoing in the silent elevator. 

"Yes?" He turns to you, immediately stopping the action as well as the swaying on his feet and giving you his complete attention.

“Is everything okay?”

His eyes widen a bit in realization. “Oh. Yes, ma’am! Uh, I-I mean yes, beautiful.” A not so convincing smile spreads across his face.

You arch an eyebrow at him, hoping to lighten the tension with a playful, “Yes ma’am, huh?” 

“S-sorry, love.” He says, attempting a small smile while he adjusts something on his wrist vambrace, “It was a long tour I…I guess I’m a little tense. It was hard on the men and…there was just a lot to do.” 

You smile at him understandingly, the lift door opening. 

Almost there…

You unlock the door. 

We can do this Wolffe… 

“C-cyare,” Wolffe stutters, “Look, m-maybe we should do this another time. I- I don’t think I’m up for this-” He frowns, lowering his gaze to the corner of the tight space.

“Wolffe, seriously, that’s enough.” You frown, sounding unimpressed. “What are you worried about?”

“W-what if she doesn’t like me?” 

“Oh my god.” 

“No” he sighs, “You don’t understand I’m- just look at me. I’m not soft, I’m not pretty, I don’t know how to sing lullabies for crying out-” He huffs, “I don’t even know what babies like to talk about!” 

“Wolffe, seriously, I love my daughter to death, but you are giving an infant old way too much intellectual credit.” You say rolling your eyes. 

Those boys are dead. 

Wolffe sighs again, running a hand over his hair, “But love, you…you don’t understand. She’s going to take one look at me and that will just be it. And then-” His eyes widen, dread swallowing his facial expression, “O-oh my God, my eye. The scar, the cybernetic, wh-what if it scares her-” Wolffe’s face is flashing with absolute horror as he builds up the worst possible scenario in his mind.

Shit, shit, shit. 

What to do..what to do…think...

“Come on,” You say with finality. If you know one thing about your Commander. It’s that the best way to have him deal with a situation, is to give him no other choice than to face it in the heat of battle. 

Your hand hovers over the open button on the control panel. 

“Wait!” Wolffe suddenly snaps, hand snatching your wrist in place.

“Ahh!” You scream, startled. Your arm immediately shoves Wolffe on the shoulder, his form swaying only slightly from the movement “Wolffe! Seriously, you are making me so tense right now!”

“I-I’m sorry it’s just,” He sighs, ”I-if she hates me...please don’t break up with me.”

“Wolffe,” You laugh in exasperation, starting to feel more sympathetic for your poor boyfriend. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you..” You say, lying straight through your teeth. “But I need you to know everything’s going to be fine. I promise. My girl’s got good taste, and she already knows your face. I’ve shown her a million times. I know she’ll love you.”

Wolffe stares down at you with soft eyes. Looking away briefly before straightening up and giving you a gentle nod. 

Your stomach flips with nerves and excitement as you step through the opening door. There’s no way this could go wrong. Not with your Aurora. Certainly not with your Wolffe. No matter how hard and unyielding this man may be in war, even with his brothers, it’s his love and responsibility over them that makes him so stern. He’s protective, he’s caring. 

You try to conceal your own excitement, seeing your little bundle all cozied up in the Nurse Droid’s pouch. Wow, you’ve missed her. You press a gentle little kiss to her head, but don’t want to give Wolffe long enough to start backing for the door before he meets her. 

“Wolffe…this is Aurora,” You say, calmly moving a sleeping Aurora from the nurse-droid’s pouch and into Wolffe’s tense arms. His eyes widen in surprise, arms quickly shifting to find a way to hold her as the slight weight of her slowly lets into his arms. 

His eyes dart around in panic, looking at you nervously for direction. 

“Introduce yourself, Wolffe,” You say quietly, almost unable to contain your excitement at this image before you. “She’s been waiting to meet you.”

Wolffe’s body relaxes slowly. You recognize the almost invisible deep breath he takes in before letting his eyes land on your daughter's sleeping face, and it’s almost as if her peaceful state transmits into Wolffe’s nerves the second he lets himself look at her, really look at her. 

“A-Aurora.” He mutters, more to himself, causing a smile to creep onto your face. You can hear the calm slipping into him like a trance. 

“Yeah,” You almost whisper, placing a hand on her blanket in his arms, the other resting supportively on the Wolfpack emblem on his pauldron, hoping to further distribute a semblance of calm between the two of them. The last thing you need is for Aurora to scare Wolffe away by waking up in his arms screaming. 

That would take some work to repatch. 

“I don’t really call her Aurora much anymore, though.” You whisper, eyes captivated by the image of your girl engulfed delicately by Wolffe’s strong arms. 

“O-oh?” He asks, almost distractedly, glancing up at you before looking back down at the little warm bundle again. 

“Yeah,” You hum, “I’ve been calling her Rory.” 

You hear a deep yet sharp inhale, delivered almost laboriously slow so as not to unsettle the sleeping baby in his arms, “R-Rory?” He asks, his deep voice losing a bit of its composure. 

You grin, finally glancing up at Wolffe, having forgotten to make sure he was comfortable with the encounter so far. And you weren’t all that surprised when he didn’t meet your gaze, still looking at your daughter’s peaceful features. “Like…like roar-y?” He gulps, eyes wide like he’s looking straight into a bright star, “Like a-”

“-Like an animal roar,” You giggle under your breath, “Yeah, I thought you might hear it that way. But it’s R-o-r-y, Rory.”

You look up at Wolffe again, expecting to see a look of amusement on his face, but you’re slightly alarmed to see his features tense, lips pulled back into a tight line and jaw tightly set as he continues gazing at her.

“O-oh.. Wolffe, I’m sorry is this too much? A-are you okay?-” “-That’s the cutest fucking name I’ve ever heard in my life.”

You pull your lips between your teeth, trying not to give away that you’re absolutely elated, surging with love and excitement, unable to hide the smile breaking out on your face. 

“She’s…she’s so beautiful. So much more than in the pictures.” Wolffe mutters, “She looks just like you.”

You can’t suppress the laugh that escapes you at that, muffling it as best you can in front of sleeping Rory. “Wolffe, I didn't give birth to her.”

“She still looks just like you.” He mutters seriously, shaking his head in disbelief at your little girl. 

You admire your boyfriend holding your daughter in his arms. A Commander, hardened by war and tragedy in his life, gently caressing your daughter's forehead with his thumb, you don’t even think he realizes he’s doing it. Her little head small enough in his palm that he can support her neck and reach all the way around her to stroke her features. Your heart swells with heavy emotions, bringing tears to your eyes at the raw beauty of this moment.

You hate to interrupt them, but Rory runs on her own clock, and evidently…”It’s pretty late Wolffe,” You murmur, leaning up whisper in his ear. “I think Rory needs to rest in the nursery now.” 

“O-oh,” He says, shaking his head gently as if coming out of a daze. Yup, you’ve definitely lost your boyfriend to your daughter, and you are totally and completely okay with it. “Of course.” He looks down at Rory and then to your arms, awkwardly leaning forward for you to take her but not quite sure how to maneuver her without disturbing her slumber. However, he looks slightly heartbroken that his brief time with her is up. 

“Why don’t you take care of her, I’ll show you where to go so you know where you can find her,” You say gently, adding an encouraging smile at the end. 

He straightens up, nodding dutifully at the responsibility and taking extra care to follow you down the hallway into Rory’s nursery. 

He knows where the room is already, but he’s not going to argue for you to take the little girl away from his arms. When you reach her crib, he’s hesitant to place her down, but with some light instruction he settles her in easily. Admittedly it does take some extra coaxing for you to pull him out of there, reassuring him for the umpteeth time as you close the door that no she does not need any blankets and yes she will be perfectly fine. 

“You’re closing the door?” He asks, bewildered at the barrier you’ve placed between yourselves and Rory. “But what if-”

“Wolffe,” You stop him, bracing him with a hand on each shoulder, “I promise you with all my heart that she’s okay in there. Now, come with me,” You guide him to your room, just a few steps down from your daughters, and lead him to his side of the bed. 

He immediately starts removing his armor, having spent the night here with you enough times for the motions to feel natural upon entry. Aurora always spent those nights with your mom or sister, few as they were. She was so little, and you were still getting to know Wolffe when you adopted Rory. You wanted to make sure it felt right to introduce them before you did. 

“Here,” You say, bringing the monitor from your bedside table around to him. “Listen.”

He takes the device in his hands with furrowed brows as he sits on the edge of the bed, looking curiously at it. You squat down in front of him, reaching for the volume knob and making sure it’s turned up a little bit more than usual. You can tell he’s about to ask what the monitor is for. Is it broken? Did you need him to fix it? Then you hear the babble of Rory mumbling in her sleep. 

The slumberful noise makes you smile, just as you know it will to Wolffe. As expected, the sweetest grin you’ve ever seen stretches Wolffe’s features, and he shyly tries to hide it, knowing you’re watching him, as he looks away from the device in his hands.

“Now you can hear her,” You say reassuringly, tenderly squeezing his knees as you rise. 

The two of you go to bed early, using Rory as an excuse to cuddle quietly in bed and whisper to each other for hours, wrapped up in each other's arms. Wolffe detaches himself from your arms every so often to make sure the volume on Rory’s monitor is working alright, normally when she gets too silent. It feels wonderful and warm and extra special to be held tightly in Wolffe’s grasp this time, like you’ve shared the most beautiful part of yourself with him and he embraced it more than you could have even hoped. 

—--------------- 

You wake to a sound you’re all too accustomed to. Groaning instinctively at the high pitched cries ripping through the monitor. Your arm swings out to your bedside table to lower the volume a little as you roll towards the edge of the bed, only to waft against the air when you do. 

Instead, you hear a deep groan, then a startled gasp in the bed as Wolffe bolts up. And for a brief moment, you panic at the speed in which your boyfriend is sprinting out of the bed and towards your door.

“Wolffe, wait!” You shout, completely awake now as you jump up and catch his arm just outside the door.

“But it’s- it’s Rory! She’s…she’s..” He gasps, nearly pulling out of your grasp, but slowing his stead when you’ve gently wrapped your arms around him, sensing that he should listen to you first.

You sigh, relieved that you prevented your boyfriend from bursting into your daughter's nursery ready to fight off a threat, probably scaring her in the process.

“Hey, she’s okay, hey.” You say, guiding his face to look at you. “She’s okay, I promise.”

He looks a little confused, eyes still swimming with alarm from having woken up to the cries of your distressed baby. You can feel his heart pounding beneath the skin of his chest, he was scared. He’s used to waking up to blasters and bombs going off, and you feel awful for not preparing him for this, having experienced him jolting awake in the middle of the night, trembling and covered in sweat. Letting him hold you tightly to his overheated, sticky skin as he mutters needless apologies into your hair for waking you. 

The cries of Rory startled him at first, especially being such a disturbing, foreign sound. Jumping into soldier mode to take down the immediate threat is his body's natural reaction.. 

“Wolffe, look at me,” You mutter soothingly, one arm wrapping over the warm skin of his muscular shoulders, hand resting on his cheek, the other down by the waistband of his synthetic shorts. You trace gently against the black fabric hugging his form, hoping to calm him with your touch. 

The heat of his body radiates off him, warming your bare arms against his skin. You hope the skin-to-skin contact is as soothing to him as it is to you. 

“Babies cry…a lot.” You explain gently, “Aurora has trouble sleeping through the night still, she’s probably just hungry.” 

“Oh I-I knew that. I’m,” He sighs, eyes closing as he looks down in shame, “I’m sorry.”

“No my love, please don’t be. I know you just want to protect her.” You say, pressing a warm kiss on his collarbone, then pulling him down to press your lips into his cheek. “Come see, it’s okay.”

You have Wolffe leaned back in the nursing chair holding Rory and a bottle in no time. Her eyes are glued to his face. Unblinking, calm, analyzing each of his features through whatever sharpness of vision she has at this age. Wolffe isn’t any different, you notice, letting her take him in while he does the same. You allow your gaze to follow his, looking at each of her sleepy, delicate little eyelids, her button nose, those cheeks that you just want to smother in kisses. It’s so hard not to squeeze this little thing with how much you love her. 

“So,” Wolffe grumbles, sounding gruff and sleepy, but peaceful. “You…you don’t think she's afraid of the scar?”

“Are you kidding,” You say gently, “Those eyes look pretty relaxed to me.” 

You smile, continuing to gaze into your daughter's face. Wolffe holding a milk bottle in his hand and feeding it to her with strong, steady hands. She almost doesn’t blink, the way she’s staring up at him, big eyes stretching uncomfortably wide to get a good look. Pure curiosity and interest swimming in her pupils. Her gaze flutters down his face minutely, before resting on his eyes again. It’s unbearably captivating, and you shake your head at her reaction to him. 

“If anything,” You add with a giggle, “I think she’s going, ‘damn, look at that scar. Nobody’s gonna mess with me with this guy around.”

A small grin spreads across Wolffe’s face, and despite the forced doubt in his tone, you know he’s eating every word up, “Yeah, I’m sure that’s exactly what she’s thinking.” He says with an eye roll. 

“That’s what I thought,” You tease, flashing him with that endearing smile he claims can win him over anything.

He huffs, but the grin on his face spreads to a full fledged smile as he glances over your features, “Like mother, like daughter, eh?” 

“Mhm.”

#wolffe x reader #making it canon that Wolffe has the biggest lovey dovey dad dreams #the Wolfpack are so gonna get it #commander wolffe x reader #commander wolffe #wolffe x fem!reader #clone trooper #clone trooper x reader #dancingwiththeplanets #clone sinker #clone boost #clone comet #mom!reader #adoption #wolffe x mom!reader #wolfpack #the clone wars #104th battalion #wolffe #dad!wolffe

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Daddy Duty - The Forgotten Nest AU

AU Series Based on The Forgotten Nest

Summary: Bradley watches Nickie by himself for the first time.

Additional Warnings: Referenced Past Teenage Pregnancy; Nickie Crying (he's a baby y'all); Baby Functions; Bradley Struggles; Maternal Concerns

Word Count: 2.1k

Main Master List

Series Master List

Cora didn’t think that she was going to be a helicopter mom or one of those moms who would struggle with letting other people watch her baby. After all, she was raised in a predominantly ‘hands off’ household. Carole was working a lot when her and Bradley were growing up and Maverick was often away. Cora and Bradley weren't heavily supervised during their childhood, and especially not when they were teenagers.

But maybe Cora wanted to make a few changes to how she was raised with Nickie. So, yeah, maybe she was becoming a bit of a control freak mom.

Cora trusted a select group of people to watch Nickie. She trusted Ice and Sarah and Penny to watch Nickie without concern. And after some time, she trusted her dad to watch Nickie. But she wasn’t quite there with Bradley yet.

Bradley was Nickie’s father, obviously, but that didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t spent a lot of time around babies. He was still playing catch up for the months that he missed and maybe Cora wasn't fully ready for him to watch Nickie on her own yet. And she knew that made her a bad co-parent, but she thought that she had a little bit of a right to be concerned.

But it looked like she was running out of excuses these days.

“I can’t, Mara,” Cora sighed, wiping Nickie’s chin with his bib.

She was sitting in front of Nickie’s high chair while on the phone with Mara Kazansky, who was the year below her and Bradley. Cora and Mara always had a close relationship and Mara, much like her father, never shied away from telling the truth whenever she felt like Cora needed to hear it. And she definitely needed to hear this.

“I don’t have anyone to watch Nickie," Cora continued, sitting back in her chair.

“Isn’t Bradley home this weekend?”

“Well . . . yeah, but . . .”

“You don’t trust him to be alone with Nickie?” Mara guessed, causing Cora to sigh.

“That’s not what I meant,” Cora replied, holding out more food for Nickie to eat. “It’s just . . . he’s still learning and everything. And it can be a lot to watch a baby.”

“Nickie is his baby too. If Bradley can’t survive an afternoon alone with him, then he needs to get his shit together three months ago,” Mara pointed out without skipping a beat. “And it’s not like we’ll be across the country. We’ll be two hours away and my mom is still in town, so if he needs anything at all, he can call her and she’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Cora stared at Nickie for a moment. She felt incredibly guilty for even doubting Bradley’s ability to watch their son by himself, but she didn’t think it was entirely crazy either. He had spent about a grand total of two months with Nickie and for most of it, Cora was right there with him.

“Come on, Cora, you need a break. You haven’t spent more than three hours away from Nickie since he was born. And every parent needs a break. Especially you.”

“I’m turning into Ms. Mom, aren’t I?” Cora sighed quietly, holding out more food to Nickie.

“Hey, there’s a lot of worse types of moms that you could be,” Mara amended her earlier sentiments.

Mara knew how sensitive the subject motherhood was with Cora. And Mara, though she wasn't majoring in psychology, had a slight inkling that Cora's style of motherhood, the sort of helicopter and potentially excessive worry, was a direct reaction to Cora's mom's style of motherhood. Abandonment, that is.

“But you need to have fun too. And there will be times where you can't always be there for Nickie. And as much as I love my godson, I think that you can have fun away from him and it doesn’t make you a bad mom, Cora.”

“I’ll talk to Bradley about it,” Cora stated softly after a few moments, causing Mara to let out an excited noise.

Bradley returned to the Mitchell home two hours after Cora hung up with Mara. Heading inside, Bradley smiled when Nickie came toddling around the corner, dragging his blankie behind him as he moved to greet his dad. Setting down his keys and the food that he brought home for dinner, Bradley held out his arms for Nickie.

“Hey, Nickie,” he called, scooping his son up. Pressing a kiss to his chubby cheek, Bradley set Nickie on his hip. “You have fun with your mama?”

“Hey,” Cora greeted Bradley, walking around the corner. “How was your day?”

“Good,” Bradley returned, offering her a kind smile. Turning to the side, Bradley pointed at the bag of food that he picked up for Cora. “I bought dinner. Your favorite.”

“Thanks,” Cora replied, glancing into the bag. After a moment, she turned back to Bradley. “Do you have any plans on Saturday?”

“No, why?”

“Mara wanted to take me out and someone needs to watch Nickie if I wanted to go,” Cora started off with, building up to the question.

“You think that I wouldn’t watch my own kid?” Bradley asked, honestly sounding a bit offended.

“No, I just, I didn’t know if you would be comfortable with that since you’ve never watched him alone before and I didn’t want to pressure you into doing anything,” Cora listed off quickly.

“I can watch him,” Bradley stated, straightening up a bit. “He’s my son too.”

“I know,” Cora assured Bradley. “Thanks.”

“I’m pretty sure that you’re not supposed to thank me for me watching my own son,” Bradley pointed out, adjusting his hold on Nickie. "We'll be fine."

~~~~~

“Alright, it’s just you and me today, buddy,” Bradley told Nickie, squatting down in front of him. “Mama’s out with your Aunt Mara on a girl’s day. So, today, we’re having a dada and son day. Sound good to you?”

Nickie shot Bradley a one-tooth smile as drool dribbled down his chin before going back to gnawing on his favorite toy. He had been doing that for the last few days and anytime someone tried to take it away from him, Nickie threw a huge fit. So, for his own personal sanity, Bradley would not be touching that toy today.

“What should we do, huh?”

Bradley was a bit nervous that if he screwed up today that Cora would lose what little trust that they had built up over the last few months, and he would be back to square one. So, he was going to clean up the house, he was going to keep Nickie happy, and he was going to do everything that Cora managed in a day.

If only for his own pride.

And for the first hour, it was going well. Nickie was easily entertained and mostly kept himself busy, walking around the playroom area and playing with his toys. Bradley cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes before starting a load of laundry. And he was feeling confident, perhaps overconfident, in his own abilities as a dad.

And then Nickie got into the baby powder.

“Fucking shit,” Bradley whispered when he spotted the mess that Nickie made in the playroom.

The entire six-foot radius around Nickie was covered in a layer of white powder, which Bradley deduced came from the probably now empty bottle of baby powder that was in Nickie’s hands. And when Nickie heard his dad come into the room, he smiled proudly at Bradley’s horrified look.

“Nickie,” Bradley sighed, walking forward.

Forced to wade into the baby powder a bit, Bradley picked Nickie up and took the bottle from his hands. Closing it and setting it aside, Bradley held Nickie at arm’s length. Nickie, of course, was covered head to toe in baby powder.

“Oh, God,” Bradley breathed out, looking at the mess.

Bradley carried Nickie into the bathroom. Running a bath, Bradley held a squirming Nickie in his arms as he tested the temperature of the water. Adding some soap and bubbles, Bradley tossed in a few rubber ducks to keep Nickie entertained and hopefully happy. Washing the baby powder out of his hair, Bradley struggled as Nickie was getting increasingly frustrated and annoyed and was starting to fight back against his dad.

“Nickie, just hold still,” Bradley stated, dumping water over Nickie’s head.

Sputtering and waving his hands around, Nickie stared up at his dad with betrayal in his big brown eyes. Pouting something fierce, Nickie whined and pulled away as Bradley poured some more water over his little head. And in a fit, Nickie smashed his hands onto the water, splashing Bradley with a whole bunch of water.

“Nickie!” Bradley scolded, staring down at his now soaked shorts. “Alright, that's it. We're done with the bath.”

Bradley started to drain the water and scooped Nickie out of the tub. Setting him on the ground, Bradley kept a firm hold on Nickie and reached for a towel, drying him off despite Nickie’s increasingly loud protests. Getting Nickie into another diaper, Bradley turned to grab Nickie’s shirt when his son decided to go AWOL.

Nickie turned and hurried as fast as he could out of the bathroom, which wasn't very fast, but he still managed to get outside of Bradley's reach. Bradley let out a growl of annoyance and got up. Moving quickly, he grabbed Nickie before he could get too far and held him to his chest. Nickie whined in frustration, kicking his little legs out.

"Nickie, stop fighting me," Bradley sighed, opening the baby gate and heading back downstairs. "If you hadn't gotten baby powder all over yourself, you would have been fine."

Bradley set Nickie down in the gated play area in the family room and hurried to wash the baby powder out of the floor before it had a chance to set in. Bradley returned a few minutes later to find Nickie gnawing aggressively on something that wasn’t his teething toy and hurried to take it away before he hurt himself.

"Don't put that in your mouth," Bradley sighed, tossing the toy away.

Nickie immediately burst out into tears, holding up his hands for the toy. Bradley winced at his loud cries and quickly turned to grab Nickie’s teething toy from where it had been earlier. Except, the teething toy wasn’t where he left it. Starting to panic a bit, Bradley looked around frantically for the toy while Nickie screamed and cried in his playpen.

“Shit,” Bradley muttered, getting to his feet.

Tearing apart the family room, Bradley ran out to the playroom to look for it there. Nickie kept crying, flopping onto the ground as his sobs echoed around the whole house. Bradley finally found it under the dresser and after quickly washing it off, Bradley rushed back to try and pacify Nickie with the toy. But when he offered the teething toy to Nickie, Nickie simply threw the toy back at him.

“Nickie, please,” Bradley begged, really starting to lose his sanity.

Pulling Nickie out of the playpen, Bradley tried to soothe Nickie with hugs and rocks, but Nickie seemed to be content to scream his heart out. It was almost like he was trying to teach his dad a lesson there. Rocking Nickie back and forth, Bradley started to pace around the room, hoping that it would get Nickie to quiet down. Offering Nickie toy after toy, Bradley just got rejected over and over again.

"Nickie, please,” Bradley pleaded after a few minutes, rocking Nickie again as he looked around for something to calm Nickie down.

Rushing into the kitchen, Bradley grabbed one of the bottles that Cora left for him and tried to offer it to Nickie. And even though Nickie rejected it at first, eventually, Nickie latched on and started suckling from the bottle. Bradley held his breath for a moment, not fully trusting his son to actually settle, before he felt Nickie relax and curl up into his chest, happily sucking on the botte.

“It’s okay,” Bradley assured Nickie as Nickie closed his eyes slowly. “You're okay." Resting his back against the wall, Bradley closed his own eyes for a second. "We're all okay."

~~~~~

Cora walked inside after her day out with Mara and nearly dropped her purse where she stood when she saw the state of the house. There was a trail of baby powder all over the floor. Toys were strewn everywhere and it looked like most of the furniture was out of place from where she left it.

“Bradley?” Cora called nervously.

Rushing into the family room, Cora nearly panicked when she didn’t see Bradley or Nickie anywhere. And Nickie’s blankie and teething toy were right there on the floor. Taking the stairs, Cora sprinted to the nursery to find neither of them there.

“Bradley!?”

Running down the hall, Cora quickly checked her room before moving onto Bradley’s room. She pushed open the door and immediately let out a breath of relief when she spotted Bradley and Nickie together, safe and sound.

Bradley was laying flat on his back in his bed, shirtless, and with Nickie on his chest. His head was kicked back and his mouth hung open with soft snores coming out. Nickie was curled up on Bradley’s chest, breathing slowly. Nickie’s mouth was hanging open as well with some drool slipping out of his mouth. Bradley's hand rested on Nickie's back, keeping him in place and close.

Cora smiled to herself at the image and slowly slipped out of the room. Returning a moment later, Cora took a few pictures of Nickie and Bradley with her camera before slipping out of the room again, knowing better than to wake a sleeping Bradshaw.

Tags: Tags: @praline357 @luv4kani @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo

#top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun: maverick #top gun #tgm #tgm fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster fanfic #bradley rooster x oc #bradley rooster bradshaw x oc #rooster top gun #rooster #rooster x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #rooster bradshaw x oc #bradley bradshaw fic

[sea-owl]

I love the idea of Eloise having a wild night and waking up married.

Add in her being afraid of commitment.

Her family discovering her marriage.

Her discovering her new husband has 2 rambunctious children.

It would make for a pretty interesting hangover.

How do you think it would all shake out?

Anon asked:

I remember you writing a scenario where Eloise and Phillip woke up married.

I love the accidentally married trope.

I would love to see Eloise find out phillip was not only her husband but the father of Two lil' shits. Instant marriage and instant motherhood.

I have to go find it but I think I remember. It was like one of two scenarios and this one was philoise waking up married. But I got you. Let me think of something fun.

I got an idea.

Phillip did not appreciate the pounding headache when he woke up that morning. Nor did he remember how he got back in his own bed. God he was gonna kill Michael. That hellion used the excuse that it was his birthday yesterday to get Phillip and Penelope to join him in getting utterly wasted at the bar. Michael had said something about them getting the sticks out of their asses and . . .letting go?

Phillip would roll his eyes if he could open them. The last time he followed Michael's definition of letting go, it ended with him becoming a father to twins after a one night stand with Penelope's cousin. So yeah, Phillip made it a rule to keep the drinking to a minimum in public.

A feminine moan was heard next to Phillip.

Phillip shot his eyes open, and hissed as the light hit them. Damn headache, damn Michael. Turning on his side he was not expecting to see a pretty brunette sleeping in the same bed as him. Oh no. Not again!

Phillip is gonna kill Michael.

Detangling himself from the sheets Phillip walked to the adjoining bathroom to find himself some aspirin and get this god awful taste out of his mouth. He has to find Penelope and Michael. He prays one of them remembers what happened, and one of them can keep Oliver and Amanda distracted while Phillip deals with the mystery woman in his bed.

Leaving a glass of water and an aspirin on the nightstand Phillip noticed a ring on her left finger.

No, no, no, no! Please don't be a one night stand. Please don't let it be a one night stand! He really needs to find Michael or Penelope so they can tell him he did not have a one night stand with a married woman!

Rushing out of his room Phillip followed the scent of breakfast down to the kitchen where he found his best friends. Michael was whistling while making waffles, eggs, bacon, and toast. Penelope was nursing one of those sugary caffeine monstrosities she keeps in his fridge. No sign of the twins though.

"Where are Oliver and Amanda?" Phillip asked.

"Their room," Penelope yawned. "I told them one of us would get them when breakfast was ready."

Phillip nodded. Good the twins didn't need to overhear this conversation. "Do either of you remember what happened last night?"

Penelope squinted, her lips slightly pouted. "Nothing much after arriving to the bar. We wished Michael a happy birthday. Maybe some dancing?"

Michael laughed. "You found yourself a pretty little lady to dance with Pip."

"Anything after?" Phillip asked.

Both Michael and Penelope shook their heads. Phillip groaned, face palming. Great neither of them are aware of the potential bomb up in his bed.

Penelope's sweet voice brought him back. "Pip? Are you okay?"

"Not really," Phillip sighed. "There's a strange woman in my bed currently, and she is potentially married."

Penelope's jaw dropped, Michael started to giggle. Both Phillip and Penelope sent their friend a glare.

"Michael this isn't funny! Phillip can't afford to have any more kids from one night stands! He's already got the twins!"

"And if she is married then we got an angry husband to deal with too," Phillip added on.

"Yeah but Pip, are you sure you aren't the husband?" Michael pointed to Phillip's left hand.

Phillip looked down. On his left ring finger was a ring. It wasn't the classic gold band but one of those cheap plastic ones one would win as some sort of prize at a festival.

Dear god what did he do last night?

"Who are you?"

All three friends froze. Shit that was the twins. Which means the mystery lady was up.

Rushing towards the dinning room where they heard the twins they came to the sight of Oliver and Amanda staring down Phillip's mystery lady.

The brunette looked towards the other adults. "Michael?"

Phillip caught sight of her left hand. Now in the light the ring looked just as cheap and plastic as the one on Phillip's hand. Actually it looked like it would work as a set with the one on Phillip's hand.

"Eloise?!" Michael exclaimed. He looked from the brunette to Phillip before bursting out laughing. "Oh Pip! This is the best birthday gift you could have given me!"

#if anyone is curious yes michael does know the bridgertons via francesca #so he knows how eloise is #he's ready for this roller coaster #accidental marriage #philoise #phillip crane #eloise bridgerton #bridgerton

[cloudofbutterflies92]

If you're taking the OTP Prompts, how about "23- Write about your ship supporting each other through a hard time." for Simon and Eden?

Hey darlings, thanks for the request (sorry for the delay 😭😭).Before starting I'll just tell you that this piece is shortly after the end of MW2 and is more or less a clue to what will happen in MW3, however one of the main themes of the story from Eden's point of view, the motherhood.

Divider by @saradika-graphics

"Nothing, I still wonder why I try this crap," Eden sat in the bathroom and looked at the pregnancy test, which was still negative. She knew it was useless to keep trying, that her stubbornness would get her nowhere this time.

She had come home early, she had been in a lot of pain and nausea lately, she thought it was finally a good sign. Instead, the test came back negative. As usual.

"I'm home, honey" Simon's deep voice from downstairs made her get up from the toilet bowl. He was definitely not supposed to see her in that sorry state.

"I'm coming" she wiped away her tears and left the room, watching as he returned, the first thing he did was kiss her on the forehead. It was one of the most traditional gestures for them as a couple when he greeted her.

"I brought you mochi, I know you like them. I left them downstairs."

"I'm not that hungry, the nausea is killing me," the brunette tried to pretend. Simon's gesture of lifting her face by the chin, just that, was enough to make her realize that the plan had failed.

"You know you don't have to lie, Edie, I saw the pharmacy receipt."

Hiding it certainly wouldn't have helped, so she gestured to his bed for him to sit down. As soon as he did, she followed and sat on him, pregnancy test in hand.

"It's negative, and I even tried. I'd like to fry myself."

"Edie, listen to me."

"I'm a wreck, Simon, all the women I know have kids. What about me? I guess with the problems I have."

He silenced her with a quick kiss, moving a few strands of raven hair across her face. Seeing her like that broke his heart; he knew she cared so much about having a family and he didn't want her to think she was worthless.

"Do you really think it matters to me if you look like this or have a tribe of children?" He planted kisses on her face.

"Simon, don't joke."

"I'm not joking, I'm dead serious and you know" Simon stopped smiling to show how serious he was. Eden knew very well that when he had that expression on his face, he was being sincere and not teasing her.

"You know, when we were separated for that time in Las Almas, I thought so much about looking for another person, or worse, being alone again. But no one would give me what you are giving me, love and a place I am proud to call home. And then there is adoption, just in case," he ran his thumb over her eyelash, still wet with tears.

They broke up that time...they had a really bad fight because Simon decided to work with Graves; Eden had never liked the Shadow Company commander, especially his methods.

Then the whole mess in Las Almas and the newfound harmony. She was grateful to be able to say that she was his fiancée; they had faced many difficulties but had managed to overcome them.

"Look, if I have to cry about your bullshit," she jokingly saw him smile with thirty-two teeth.

"Missus how about you prepare me a hot bath, maybe with a massage?" he watched her get up and walk to the bathroom door.

"I'll get the towels and the bath salts. And get the mochi from Mr. Orange," before turning around one last time.

"Ehy, I love you."

"I love you too."

#oc:eden“spectra”park #x: fire and gasoline #call of duty oc:eden “spectra” park #pairing: ghost & eden #simon ghost riley #call of duty oc #cod oc #original character #cod mw2 #call of duty original character #ghost x female oc #ghost mw2 #cod ghost #ghost cod #call of duty fanfic #call of duty fanfiction #ghost x eden #call of duty modern warfare 2 #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare 3 #ghost mw3 #cod mw3 #cod mw2 ghost #cod #cod fanfic #cod fic #ghost x oc #mw2 #mw3

[newtonsheffield]

Sophie calls Kate, "What is the magic of adorable children and puppies? Because we had Ned for an hour and now Benedict wants kids."

Kate goes "Do you want kids?"

"Yes! But that's not the point!"

Kate just blinking at her brother in law’s girlfriend in her living room after Sophie’s hissed-

“Your adorable son made my boyfriend ask me for a baby.”

“Neddy, honey, come get your grapes.” Kate waited for him to run into the room, hugging her tightly around the legs before he grabbed the bowl off the counter, grinning at Sophie.

“Thanks, Amma. Hi Soph.”

“Hey Neddy.” Sophie smiled, ruffling his hair.

“Maybe you can come play with me and Uncle Benny when you’re done talking to my Mummy.”

“Definitely.”

Both of them watched him jog back to the living room with his bowl of grapes before Kate tutted.

“Firstly, thanks for calling my son adorable.”

“No problem, he’s a sweetie.”

“He is a sweetie.” Kate hummed, “Anthony and I make good babies.”

“And another on the way, Congrats.”

“Anthony’s excited.” Kate nodded, “And I am too.”

“Another sweet little baby to get Ben to pester me to procreate.” Sophie groaned putting her head in her hands.

“Do you not want kids?” Kate asked, “I mean… it’s totally valid if you don’t.”

“I want kids I’m just… only 23? Which I’m realising now sounds rude because you were eighteen when you had Neddy.” Sophie sighed, “Sorry, that was rude.”

Kate raised her eyebrows, “I had a baby at eighteen because Anthony told me he’d pull out and then I told him not to and the contraceptive pill is not a hundred percent effective. It was a stupid decision sure. I was… god, I wasn’t even eighteen yet and it changed the rest of my life.”

“You’re like… a walking advertisement for motherhood though. You love Neddy, and you and Anthony honestly might not be back together if it weren’t for him.”

Kate nodded, “That’s true, and I wasn’t ready, and I’m thankful I have Neddy, and Ant, and this new little bean and i don’t regret having Neddy for a second. But I also know how hard it was, when I was still figuring out my life to have a baby. So just tell him you want to wait, if you do. He can keep it in his pant for another year or so.”

“Thanks,” Sophie said softly before she blinked, “Now, I don’t know how different Anthony is, but Ben’s… never been great at keeping it in his pants.”

“Kate scoffed, “Hello, I’m pregnant so fucking soon after we got back together. Literally three days after we met again after all those years, we had filthy sex in my bedroom. That’s how he bloody found out about Neddy.”

#kathony #anthony x kate #kate sharma #kate sheffield #benophie #molly’s asks and answers

[circular-bircular]

Christianity and Plurality

I want to preface this with a few different things. 

Firstly, I don’t fully identify with the label plural, even if I used to; I struggle to see my plurality as “plurality,” even if I do technically fall under that label. I’ve been working on finding a good alternative, but at the end of the day, I still associate with certain plural ideals and symbols, and regardless of how much I’d rather not associate with that community, I am forcibly put into that community due to my disorder. I feel qualified to talk about plurality from a personal experience lens, but as always, do not take my word as the one and only truth.

Secondly, I have wavered somewhere between Christian, Agnostic, Atheist, and various other styles of “ex-Christian who is traumatized by the religion.” I’m not entirely sure what label to apply to my religious ideals, particularly as, I didn’t think I’d be figuring this out due to… syscourse, of all fucking things. Through all of this, I think I’ve determined I am Christian, just… loosely.

Lastly, connecting to the syscourse point: I really don’t want to make this post. The only reason I am is because I haven’t seen people who share my perspective speaking out, despite knowing that many do, and I figure… If I won’t, who will? As a Christian who struggles with modern Christianity, and a system who struggles with modern Plurality(™), I feel the need to speak up about all this drama lately regarding the topic of a Plural God, and how it is negatively impacting me. I want to speak my truth, y’know? 

So, let’s talk about it.

When I was still going to church weekly, I was part of both the children’s worship and the more adult sermons. I watched the sermons for adults before heading downstairs to work with the children and see their lesson. By and large, I appreciated the latter far more than the former, as I felt it got to the core of the religion without frustrating semantics and vague ideas. 

In all of these spaces, when the topic of the Holy Trinity was mentioned, it was… odd and definitely confusing for me, especially as someone who struggles with AND without things being seen in absolutes. I’m unsure what denomination I fell under (my parents refused to inform me, saying we’re all the same under God) but the approach was the same for the three different churches I recall attending.

The Holy Trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) was a triad of things. The Father was God, the Son was Jesus, and the Holy Spirit was what came after Jesus’s death. However, it was secondly the phrase, “My God is three-in-one,” referring to the idea that God is present in all of those ideals, having given the world Jesus, and having predetermined Jesus’ sacrifice to save us from our sins. Lastly, the Holy Trinity was a concept and belief, and that was what was focused on the most. See, the denominations I was raised in specified that belief in God and the Son and the Holy Spirit were just that: a belief. That our belief in God is what made us worthy of salvation, and thus, the Spirit of God was in all of us. 

It was known to me that God was not also Jesus and was not also the Holy Spirit. They were separate, but each part informed the other, and our understanding of those three separate parts formed one unified belief.

With this new rise of the comments that God is an endogenic system… It feels incredibly disjointed from the childhood beliefs I’d learned and absorbed. Suddenly, my belief is something that isn’t factored in; the Holy Spirit is now something solid and tangible, an entity rather than my faith in Christ and the Lord. The best comparison I’ve been able to come to is how people play with Greek myth, making it more modernized while ignoring the original premise and meaning behind the myths -- No, no, Persephone wanted to marry Hades, really (ignoring the kidnapping of Greek maidens and the betrayal inherent to motherhood, yada yada yada yada).

If God were an endogenic system, suddenly, Jesus’s sacrifice is the death of God as well (as headmates share the same body). Unless people are attempting to say that Jesus’s death was only innerworld, in which case, we’re now saying, “The death that led to the salvation of humanity from eternal damnation was entirely in the innermind of God.” 

It removes the human element of everyone else in these biblical stories. It removes the human context, the failure of humanity (and the successes) from the core essence of Christianity and centers instead solely on this idea of plurality. 

Then we get to the Holy Spirit, and it all breaks down more. Now the endogenic headmate of God is inside of me? Now you’re stating that my belief is on the same level as my parts; but it’s not. God is not in my head — he’s in my heart and soul. He’s not an alter. 

I will say, this is no fault of those who are sharing this headcanon, but I want to add it to provide context for why people may be feeling particularly heated about this topic. I’m currently in a very stressful time in my life, and this discussion of a plural God has made me start thinking about all of this at an incredibly poor time. Made me start thinking about the concept of the Holy Spirit being an alter, rather than the presence of God’s love in me, and how it’s suddenly more concrete. This has been sending my demonic and angelic alters into quite a tizzy, especially as one of those demons (Numb) is a protector who is certain I’ll be splitting a fucking Jesus introject.

Needless to say, this wouldn’t be good for us.

But do you see how the spiral arises?

I will say, I don’t feel that the belief that God is an endogenic system is inherently bad, and having a belief in God that could negatively impact someone else’s view of God or even just them as a person is not on that person’s shoulders. Again, I only mention the splitting thing because I want people to understand that these topics are stressful — and not just for “ridiculous anti-endos.” 

I’m also not saying it’s bad to play around with the concept of God and adopt new beliefs that are outside the norm. Quite the contrary; I’m sitting here with the belief that God is a genderless being using He/Him and They/Them in conjunction, that Jesus qualifies as trans and queer, and that Joseph and his technicolor dreamcoat put on a stellar drag show for the Pharaoh, his lover. I know plenty of Christians who would have a heart attack at these ideas.

The issue I do have is that those who are saying that God is an endogenic plural are not doing so (excuse the pun) in good faith.

When I say that Jesus is trans, I do not do so to “raise awareness of transness in Christian spaces” or to “own the bigots and reclaim Christianity.” I do so because I genuinely believe it to be true, and I like to share that truth. I share it to help others gain more perspective about religion, not about transness. I also share it with those I know would receive it, as I don’t want to push others away from the concept of transness or Christianity by offending them -- religion should not be the starter course of acceptance.

And yet, in all of the discussions I’ve seen of this topic, it has not felt that anyone is actually saying this because they truly believe it. It doesn’t feel like people are saying this to share their joy and wonderment about finding themselves in their religion. It feels instead like people who are purposefully trying to bait anger or confusion in order to manipulate people into learning something, or even simply to be cruel. As a teacher, and as someone who was also manipulated by the church, I can attest that manipulating people in this way doesn’t… help. Why are people purposefully seeking anger? This literally goes directly against the edicts of the God you’re theorizing about. 

In the past few weeks, I’ve seen more vitriol at the “colonizing homophobic Christian bigots” than I’ve seen for years, particularly as I’ve tried to avoid any mentions of my religion in public after years of abuse (both from my religious parents, and from non-religious peers). I try to avoid it because people form assumptions about me if I mention my religion, even in passing. Let’s not forget the poll that stemmed from this that lumped all Christians under the straight white label, an issue that persists and that queer Christians have tried to fight for goddamn years. 

And all of these people are going on about a plural God. 

It just feels… disconnected. Like the people saying this don’t actually say it to connect to God, but rather, to tread on those religious beliefs for their own agenda. It feels like people using my religion for their own means, without actually caring a lick about the meaning behind what I believe. 

And that’s why I’m hurt. 

I ask kindly that people consider not using a religion they don’t believe in for their crusade for more acceptance of Endogenic systems, or at least, to do so with the intention of actually interacting with the religion as more than a simple mythology. Please try to consider the context of these stories, the power behind these beliefs, and the impact that imposing modern systems (another good pun) on these beliefs could have. 

#syscourse #And for fucks sake this is NOT going in the main tags for any of that #I do not want the introduction to endogenic plurality or systemhood into Christian spaces to be fucking syscourse #vessel on a calming sea #I really tried my best with these words #But it's hard #Especially since it's nebulous where I stand

[fallenclan]

hello, it is me, here with ANOTHER potential deputy list. essentially i'll list cats i think are viable options and give some reasoning behind my choices. i also tried to account for age when picking

YEWBERRY---the oldest contender on the list. yewberry used to have the insecure trait and currently is ambitious. combining these together, i'm not sure if he'd be a particularly good deputy and (as beetle has stated) he would probably feel stressed being in charge of other cats. HOWEVER, i believe he would want to be deputy. yewberry has a lot of narrative potential for wanting to be deputy, with him seeking to escape otterslip's legacy and "prove" himself. i believe brambletuft and ivybounce would both be with him a lot and offering her support to him, and to a lesser extent, poppyfeather.

POPPYFEATHER---my number one choice. she has the perfect combination of traits: charismatic, vengeful, and eloquent speaker. she would be a cat who'd be great at convincing cats to see her point of view and in general "inspiring" cats. i like to think she has a bit of a grudge against the other clans ever since henryclaw's mysterious death, with the shallowclan war only worsening this. poppyfeather would be a well-respected deputy but also a lot of cats would probably get an "off" vibe from her. her vindictive nature is lesser known to the clan, but she isn't someone you want to cross. going with the lore stating that the deputy picks a successor, i think crowflame would realistically either choose poppyfeather or antbite. poppyfeather is the more experienced of the two, and also would avoid claims of nepotism. anyway. she's the perfect choice imo. not that much older than cherrystar also.

MOOSEFALL---he, along with the previous two, was also on my last deputy contender list. my old points still remain. i think moosefall would be a kind-hearted and compassionate deputy but have trouble with being easily influenced by his family and friends. he could potentially be a bit gullible or swayed too quickly. still, his heart is in the right place and he would always try to do what's best for his clan.

ANTBITE---antbite would be a serious, no-nonsense deputy. he would get things done. lionsong's death has definitely made him even more reserved (if that's even possible) so i doubt he'd be the type of deputy that cats support for his charm/speaking skills, but rather for his orderliness and hardworking attitude. i believe antbite would have trouble thinking outside of the box and would probably get stuck in the same old routines pretty easily. in other words, a lot of younger cats especially would be complaining about him being a killjoy. but he gets the job done! 2nd place choice

SALMONSKIP---she might be chaotic and silly, but i believe that as she's gotten older she's also gotten more mature. she works hard while also knowing how to have fun. cats generally like her and she's good at making everyone feel right at home. she leads with her heart, not her head, which can lead to her making mistakes, but she's always willing to admit when she's wrong (although many consider her to be stubborn, she is actually quite capable of seeing when she has made a mistake---she will never back down on her opinions, though). whilst cherrystar is wise and a lot more careful, salmonskip is a risk-taker. she'd definitely push cherrystar out of her comfort zone (for the better!).

MOSSFROG---the child prodigy, now a mother. i love mossfrog. she's quiet and unassuming but shockingly clever. she's always coming up with ingenius ideas and no cat can dispute that she's brilliant. her social skills might be lacking, but i believe motherhood will soften her somewhat. she doesn't say much, but when she speaks it's always worth listening. she would make an excellent deputy however i do believe the role would cause her a lot of stress, at least at first. i think rustbee and salmonskip's support would help her a lot, though!

BOULDERSTEP---not much to say on this one. food for thought.

RUSSETFLARE---one of my favorite cats, actually. she's a bit of a goofball but i believe she'd make a good deputy. she's very good at influencing others however she always has their best interests at heart. she's open to new ideas and experiences and genuinely loves her clan. russetflare inspires a sense of comradery and warmth everywhere she goes. she might not be the most clever or most talented cat, but she's definitely got a lot of potential - and she has an entire friend group (juniperfoot, sandsnap, myrtleclaw, feathersight, ospreyswipe, cinderstone, ramstep) to back her up!

JUNIPERFOOT---she's cool, she's clever, she's funny. juniperfoot might often be overlooked compared to her siblings, but she also has a lot of potential. as a deputy she'd use her shrewdness to solve problems. i believe she'd be very organized (like antbite) but also open to new ideas and concepts. she'd often look to senior warriors for advice, valueing the unique perspectives of her clanmates. juniperfoot is my 3rd choice (personally she's my 2nd but due to her lack of relationship with crowflame i've bumped her down to 3rd).

there were of course many options, but these are my top picks

tldr; top deputy contenders imo are yewberry, poppyfeather, moosefall, antbite, salmonskip, mossfrog, boulderstep, russetflare, and juniperfoot

-🐉

OOOGH such a good list. big fan of your thoughts on Juniperfoot especially, I hadn't considered choosing her, but she's actually a fantastic choice. the only relationship Crowflame has with her though is a tiiiiny bit of Respect, so in lore I don't see it as very likely, but she's absolutely on my list now

#fallenasks #dragon anon

[crisiscutie]

Dissidia Sephiroth and JENOVA!Dissidia Darling

Excerpt from my analysis of Yandere Dissidia Sephy.

Content Warning: Gaslighting/Emotional Abuse. Body Change. Allusions to pregnancy. Just a long ramble, don't bother reading if you're expecting a writing prompt.

If you've been following the Dissidia AU, you might know that in that universe, Sephiroth's darling is a summoner he took under his wing (no pun intended), masquerading as her jaded and well-meaning mentor. Eventually, he earned her trust and admiration, leading her to summon JENOVA into their universe. Darling was successful in this endeavor, but little did she know JENOVA required a physical vessel, and she chose Darling herself. Darling had no idea she succeeded, while Sephiroth, who knew, used that to his advantage in his plans to become one with her and ascend to godhood.

No matter which version, we know Sephiroth is obsessed with carrying on his mother's legacy and her bidding. He has a severe messiah complex, which made me think about how this would show up in his relationship with Dissidia Darling.

Then, I realized he would definitely view this manifestation within her as if it was like a sacred pregnancy, stroking his inflated ego even further and fueling his delusions. So, for sure, he'd be determined to see her through the entire "pregnancy," supporting her all the way. In some ways, Sephiroth still acts as a mentor to darling, but we know well that our Crisis Cutie loves weaving half-truths into his web of deception and lies. That's why I adore him as a yandere - his ruthless and obsessed personality and his storyline in Opera Omnia, where he's desperately trying to resurrect JENOVA, are the perfect foundations for this AU.

I like how there are even similarities to the Virgin Mary's tale, if you think about it. The goddess JENOVA selects the "virgin" darling to bear her new form in the Dissidia universe... Sephiroth also interpreted this as a sign that darling was the chosen girl for him. Darling and Sephiroth also bear similarities to Eve and the Serpent! If you haven't read my analysis of Sephiroth's Mommy Issues, I suggest doing so to gain insight into my next point.

To be expected, this manifestation would undoubtedly trigger Dissidia Sephiroth's mommy issues like hell, much like Fluffy Sephiroth, but he would handle it differently than him. He would seize every opportunity to "mentor" Darling, shaping her into the perfect doll mother. Not only her body must be immaculate but her psychological state as well. And if he needs to break the doll repeatedly to do that, he will. His idealized vision of motherhood will be recognized. She will be his in every sense.

So, under his "guidance," he nurtures her; encouraging strength, fostering hatred, and instilling confidence within her. And he always takes the time to ask darling about her thoughts on motherhood occasionally, dropping cryptic hints about the manifestation. She feels like he is hinting at something, but is not exactly sure what. The man just loves to watch her squirm, yearning for more information, just like he does with everyone else. But then he downplays it, perhaps making her question herself. At times, he even uses this manipulation as a playful way to charm her, making her turn a deep shade of red when coyly saying that he is might be the one to make her a mother. The cruel amusement he derives from this is almost overwhelming.

In my recent fic, Sephiroth gets a lovely taste in the distant future as a reward for his impressive progress at darling's reunion. But not too long after that, she finds herself separated from him, stumbling upon new friends who might show her the light.

But don't worry. He's desperately searching for ways to reclaim her from them. And when he's ready to confront them, he will double down on the pregnancy allusions. Perhaps he'd say something like, "You are carrying our future within you, darling."

Poor Darling would be so disturbed, feeling violated by this monster growing within her, taking over her very being. Nonetheless, Sephiroth would gaslight her, reminding her that she had willingly agreed to help him summon JENOVA, all the while wearing his signature sadistic smirk. Then, he would gradually shift back to his well-meaning mentor persona to deepen her trauma; Gently cupping her cheeks, wiping away her tears and assuring her he would take care of her. Why? Because HE was the only one who could understand her. Care for her. Love her. The worlds were against her. He was the only one fighting by her side... Makes you wonder how darling will respond to these manipulations...

Anyway, Sephiroth has essentially baby-trapped the poor darling, and I absolutely adore that allusion. It perfectly embodies the core traits of a yandere - delusion, manipulation, protectiveness, objectification, obsession, and possession. Sephiroth embodies all of these TOO well.. I can't wait to talk more about this in the full detailed analysis and in later ones of how I explain how other yandere Sephiroths put these concepts into practice with their darlings.

To end on a playful note, it's worth noting the irony that darling ended up forming connections with other FF characters, all stemming from her bond with Sephiroth. I plan on delving further into Darling's interactions with characters beyond Sephiroth and Kadaj; she's managed to gather quite the harem, xD. Perhaps the most prominent example is how Sephiroth still keeps his other "tools" around, like Seymour and Weiss, because darling is still inexperienced and not quite ready to be his sole partner. However, it's only natural that spending time with others would lead to bonding, so this turned out to be a major oversight on Sephiroth's part. He never expected his tools to form a connection with darling. So it's no surprise that Sephiroth's objectification of darling and his allies will have some eventual negative consequences. How these consequences will be explored? Well, you'll just have to keep tuning into the AU.

#final fantasy 7 #ff7 sephiroth #ff7 #sephiroth x reader #yandere sephiroth #crisis cutie #sephiroth #tw: body change #tw: abuse #tw: emotional abuse #tw: emotional manipulation #tw: noncon #tw: yandere #yandere core #male yandere #yandere stories #yandere male #tw yandere #yandere #female reader #fem reader #jenova #c.c rambles

[trangkhanhi]

Motherly love - Uzumaki Kushina

Don't know if anyone who has read this article has become a mother? I'm not a mother, I haven't had children yet so I don't know what motherhood is like for children. Every time I read or watched Naruto's birth, I cried because I felt sorry for this family for not being able to live happily together. That fateful day Kushina went from a woman to a mother, a beautiful and sacred vocation

However, Kushina must not have expected that on the day she expected her son to be born, it was also the day that she and her husband died.

And what made me feel even more sad was to read the manga again when I saw Kushina's messages to Naruto before she left this world

As I read and watched this passage tears kept coming to my eyes, an indescribable sadness, how sad. I'm not a mother, I can't know the pain Kushina endured when she had to leave her baby and turn Naruto into a jinchuriki but I knew it definitely hurt.

But all I understood was sadness until I saw 2 videos on social media at which point I understood Kushina's feelings even though I am not a mother.

There was a girl who was pregnant but then she found out she had cancer, her family and husband were both very panicked but the girl was especially calm and only asked the doctor one question "I have cancer so is my baby affected?" and the doctor answered no. The girl replied calmly, it was okay.

Because of the cancer, she started treatment so she could prolong her life so she could deliver the baby. During her pregnancy, her treatment was painful, but she managed to overcome it for her little one, and she also prepared birthday presents for him year by year and filmed videos saying messages to her son, when her child grew up, Child could rewatch the footage.

As she neared her due date, the pain from the treatment made her unbearable, causing her to burst into sobs and tell her husband, "I don't want to die, I want to see my baby grow up healthy, I'm not comfortable leaving my baby in someone else's care," which is not what Kushina did before she died. with Naruto? That's why when Minato neutralized Edo Tensei, Naruto responded to Kushina's earlier instructions and told him not to worry about him

And the last line "Try to find someone like your mother" when I read this far, I just thought it was simply to find a strong girl like Kushina, but actually behind that sentence is very meaningful

In another story, there is an exchange program between musicians and students on the topic of songs composed by that musician. And there was a boy who asked the musician this one question Boy: I want to ask if the whole song is about a mother's love for her son, but one sentence that I really wonder about is, "There will be someone who loves you more than I love you", I want to understand what you meant when you wrote that sentence?

Musician: Haha, You think I wrote it wrong, right? Boy: I don't know who will love me more than my mother? Musician: Let me tell you, your mother is always the person who loves you the most, your mother will still love you the most in the future, your mother will always love you the most, that's what I'm sure of. But for your mother, in your mother's thoughts and in my thoughts for my son, your mother always hopes that someone will love her child more than she does. That sentence is only true in your mother's mind because your mother loves you too much and your mother knows one thing: your mother will not be able to go with you when you grow up. I also cannot go with my child when he grows up because I will get old and when I am no longer in this world, who will take care of my child?

With the two stories I told above, both of them are parents and those are the similar feelings of parents in those situations.

I finally understood that Kushina's statement was find someone like your mother, which means find someone who loves you like I love you, even loves you more than me. Kushina has become an instinctive mother who loves and protects Naruto unconditionally. Kushina knew she couldn't see Naruto grow up and become an adult, and at the same time placed the burden of becoming a jinchuriki on Naruto. Kushina understood the pain that Naruto was about to go through because she was also a Jinchuriki, she knew how lonely and sad that pain was until she met Minato and Kushina was very happy and grateful for that. So she also hopes that Naruto will also meet someone who loves him, someone who cares for him, someone who is willing to protect Naruto the way she is willing to protect her son from the Nine-Tails.

However, the person Naruto likes is not a girl but a boy. I read a sentence on a tumblr blog that I don't remember from someone who said "Except for Naruto's parents, no one in this world loves Naruto more than Sasuke." The biggest thing Kushina and Sasuke have in common is that they love Naruto unconditionally. Sasuke took care of Naruto, feeding him bentos at the cost of his ninja career. Worried about Naruto when he trained alone all night and didn't come home, and most importantly, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Naruto's smile without any regrets.Naruto and Sasuke are so happy because they found each other and shared their pain together

Sasuke is not a girl, but if she knew there was someone who loved Naruto unconditionally like that, Kushina would definitely be happy and reassured.

I read somewhere that Kishimoto had no intention of letting Naruto meet his parents again until he had a child. He knew he owed Naruto an apology and he decided to create two very emotional moments. allowing Naruto the opportunity to see his two most important relatives again.

A mother’s love will never end. It is there from beginning to end.

Hope everyone will also find the other half of your life, "soulmate" or "true love", someone who loves you unconditionally like Sasuke loves Naruto and Naruto loves Sasuke and even if you can't find that person, please always love yourself.

#kushina uzumaki #naruto x sasuke #sns

[yournextflame]

Children of the Erdtree

Recently I've been thinking a lot about Tarnished Archeologist video, where he suggested that during the Marika's age all people were born from the Edtree. And while I disgree with his main statement, I think there is certain truth when it comes to... Empyreans. As crazy as it sounds, there are plenty of evidence that Empyreans are plants spawns of the Erdtree, especially in Japanese.

Those born at the foot of the Erdtree are blessed. At least, that is the enduring belief of the people of the plateau (Golden Rune [6]) 黄金樹の麓に生まれた者は特別である 高原の民は、未だそう信じている

This description in English draws connection to the blessing of the guidance, but JP doesn't use "blessed", 特別 means "special, extraordinary, unique". This word is also used in the description of the amber draught that Seluvis made to seduce Ranni, Radagon's seweing kit (unique item made to alter demigod attire) and plenty of other items associated with demigods, which in my opinion implies that people born at the foot of the Erdtree are divine beings.

Upd: it can be translated as "blessing" and used as such in the description of the Erdtree's flavor.

In one of my recent replies I suggested that Melina (I was born at the foot of the Erdtree) is a secret Empyrean, who born after the Shattering and, unlike Ranni or M-twins, she was directly spawned from the Erdtree. However, description of the Golden Rune states that this phenomena of people coming from the Erdtree is widely known to the regular folks as well as the special status of people born this way.

Before dwelling deeper into the mysterious lore of floral Empyreans, I want to explain why in my opinionnot not all people and demigods were born from the Erdtree; and this pattern is not an evidence for this statement, it's simply a genealogical tree of the Golden Lineage. The demigods are all directly related to Queen Marika's/Only Godric, the grafted one, is a distant descendant…/The runt of the litter, his divine blood sorely diluted (Enia) The issue with original theory is that such a thing like Godrick's diluted blood wouldn't exist in a world where everyone is Marika's or Erdtree's offshoot, not to mention logistics of childbirth would raise a lot of questions, how would people determine which child-bud is their child? The game makes it very clear that people are coming to the Erdtree to die, but nothing points that majority of population were born from the Erdtree, otherwise Melina's situation wouldn't be presented as something unique and people, who were born at the foot of the Erdtree, wouldn't be viewed as extraordinary entities, and brother D wouldn't boast that no child will came from Fia's rotten flesh anymore. While I believe that Marika definitely screwed to concept of motherhood by her decision to remove the Rune of Destined from the Elden Ring - that's why Formless Mother is an outer god, "Bat Song" - a song about motherhood is the only song with real Latin lyrics; and why Marika has no luck with children, I don't think that it was screwed to the extent of people being fully dependant on the Erdtree to reproduce. [cut content alert] Turtle meat is said to boost virility, but none in the Lands Between seem to have much appetite for it these days. In Lands Between, the urge to reproduce has waned long ago Going with Elden Ring's based idea of life being intertwined with death, I think immortal people simply lost interest in reproduction, but since this description was changed, I don't have a hard evidence to support this idea. That being said, there is no hard proof for anything, but there are plenty of interesting connections between Empyreans and plants, and I want to talk about it.

Souls Seed, Japanese lore-blogger, pointed similarity between the oval shape in the center of mural on the Erdtree's entrance and Miquella's cacoon, but I decided too add Rennala's amber egg as I strongly suspect that this thing produced Ranni. This mural was always interesting to me, the meaning of the lower part is easy to understand, the Erdtree sprouts from the Elden Ring as it is said on Kadokawa JP site, but the upper part is more abstract. What is this oval object? What are those lines are supposed to symbolize? According to the Soul Seed's theory, this mural is showing the blood watering Empyrean cacoon born from the Erdtree (or the Erdtree being watered with blood and producing Empyrean). The Empyrean was thus used as a name for the firmament, and in Christian literature for the dwelling-place of God, the blessed, celestial beings so divine they are made of pure light, and the source of light and creation The very name of Empyreans says to us that they are very special, in Japanese they are 神人 "god-person", they are indeed a level above an average demigod. And I really dislike that EN translation dropped that the birth of Empyreans means that the age of current ruling god is ending. 神人とは、通常のデミゴッドとは異なる存在

エルデンリング、即ち女王マリカの時代が終わったとき

神となり、新しい律を掲げるべく、尊く生まれ落ちているのです

An Empyrean is different from an ordinary demigod.

When the Elden Ring; the Age of Queen Marika ends,

an Empyrean is preciously born to become God so they can establish a new Order (Sage Gowry)

If you haven't read my close reading of Marika's echoes, I'd recommend you to do it as in that post I explained in details why this verb 掲げる is so important. It's used in the description of the Dectus and Rold medallions, which are mended by Tarnished, it's used in the description of the Mending Runes, and it's used... by Marika when she sends Tarnished on the Long March.

Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. そして、お前たちが死した後、いつか奪ったものを返そう 狭間の地に戻り、戦い、赴くままにエルデンリングを掲げるがよい Just to be clear, I don't think the Shattering was a rebellion against the Greater Will as Marika planned that the Elden Ring would be 掲げる in the end. Me general idea is that it was a succession war between Marika and Empyreans, but this theory always had two giant plot holes named Malenia and Miquella, who were born after the beginning of Tarnished campaign. However, no matter in which theory you believe the birth of Miquella and Malenia wouldn't make sense, not to mention the whole selfcest thing. Unless the birth of the Empyreans is something that Marika can't fully control because they aren't born in classic way, they are spawining from the Erdtree.

Floral theme is very important in the imagery of gods and Empyreans. Marika/Radagon and the Erdtree, Miquella, his lilies and the Haligtree, Malenia and Scarlet Aeonia. The only Empyrean, who isn't associated with plants, is Ranni, but I think this Miyazaki's interview explains why:

What can represent these rules and order but also not be absolute? That was the question that ran through my mind when I created this image. And the tree really fits the bill nicely for that because the tree is something that's alive, it's something that grew, it's something that will eventually wither and die. And this really fits the role of something that can then bestow this order, control these rules, and enforce these rules on the world. Because these too are things that will grow and will change and will wither and die as well. So I feel that the tree this time is something that fits those elements both visually and thematically. But saying any more than that would definitely go into spoiler territory.

[Miyazaki's interview to gamesradar explains lore better than 150hr long game 🤦‍♀️] Those big, magic plants, the Erdtree, the Haligtree that was supposed to replace it, they are embodiements of the Order. The Erdtree used to be an object of worship, Haligtree played the central role in Miquella's plant. The Scarlet Aeonia would be worshipped too if Malenia was interested in the Order of Rot.

But Ranni choose to walk the shadow path and the main idea behind her ending is that there wouldn't be a god and Order to worship, in that case a symbol of the Order shouldn't exist. In the light of theory that Empyreans blood is a source of life, her slaughter of the body would also makes sense because... the blood of gods and Empyreans is a source of life and a lot of problems.

I always thought that Millicent story is a missing piece of puzzle to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the Elden Ring - Marika/Radagon. Of course, Malenia is posessed by Rot, but I think the key principle between the birth of Malenia's daughter and Radagon's existence is the same. Notably, Millicent is always descibed as a flower (as well as her sisters and Malenia herself) The despair of sweet betrayal transformed Millicent from a mere bud into a magnificent flower. And one day, she will be reborn—as a beautiful scarlet valkyrie The girl, Millicent. She is a bud. Green and undeveloped, waiting to flower into magnificence/In truth, before her, I'd never seen a bud of such superior quality. She might very well outshine her sisters. However, Millicent believes that she is blood-related to Malenia. In which case, allow me to explain myself. I am of Malenia's blood. But in what capacity I know not. I could be sister, daughter, or an offshoot…

Recently I've been asked to translate official Malenia vs Radahn story board and found out something interesting on this panel - according to the trailer director Malenia uses the weight of her body to push the sword deeper inside Radahn's body and mix their blood. The result comes immediately - Radahn blooms with the Aeonia flower. Considering what happened in the trailer and later in the story, I can suggest this formula:

Malenia's blood -> Scarlet Aeonia flower -> Malenia's "daughters" or:

Empyrean's blood -> magic plant -> Empyrean's offshoot The latter is partially supported by Miquella's lore. We know that he was fertilizing Haligtree with his own blood: The surcoat bears the crest of the Haligtree. Though watered with Miquella's own blood since it was a sapling, the Haligtree ultimately failed to grow into an Erdtree A popular theory also suggests that Miquella has his own offshoot - St. Trina, but without cut content we can rely only on visual similarities between their lilies and spirit/dreamwrold connections.

Speaking of which, I'd like to pay ettention to the base of the St. Trina's lily. Unlike Miquella's lily, this one doesn't have roots, and the base of it looks similar to the rootless Haligtree sigil. Applying the pattern that I mentioned above, we can see how blood/plant thing works for Miquella:

Miquella's blood -> Haligtree ->St. Trina [confirmed in cut content, speculative in the current lore] However, I wonder to which extent Empyreans can control creation of plants/people from their blood. Malenia definitely bloomed on purpose, but it seems that Millicent and her children were born without Malenia's awareness. Same goes for the St. Trina. Does their shape is so uncertain (some say she is a comely young girl, others are sure he is a boy) because Haligtree was still growing or and wasn't fully formed or is it result of Miquella's connection to the dreams, a realm of abstract imagery?

Quite often when it comes to Radagon's lore we can only pray use visual design as an evidence. And Radagon is always surrounded by plants. He has 11 portraits in the Roundtable Hall and almost all of them are paired with the Erdtree's painting. His talisman depicts him with the stamens of Miranda's flowers and if Miranda's prayer wasn't cut from the game, I would definitely draw parallel to the Floral Crucible. Finally, his statue shows him T-posing ohgodwhy over the roots or... the growing Erdtree. Following estabilished formula: Marika's blood ->the Erdtree -> Radagon

Rennala got horny for a plant. Of course, there are a plenty of wonky parts in this theory. Why is Radagon=Marika, a fully functional male counterpart capable of carrying the Elden Ring, but Millicent is not even a demigod. Maybe because Malenia herself wasn't a real god at this moment, let alone a ruling god on top of the Order:

When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn. As a scarlet valkyrie. Alternate explanation is the influence of the Rot, but I think what matters in the end is that Empyrean's blood can create plants that are birthing people.

[I think now I know what's deal with M-children and butterflies, they are attracted to the flowers]

More over, there are a plenty of mentions of how a single creature became a progenitor to entire specie:

Greyoll was the mother of all dragons, dwarfing all who stood before her like a looming mountain (Greyoll's Roar) Shield featuring a vividly painted twinbird. The twinbird is said to be the envoy of an outer god, and mother of the Deathbird (Twinbird Kite Shield) The Gloam-Eyed Queen cradles newborn apostles swaddled in this cloth. Soon they will grow to become the death of the gods (Godskin Swaddling Cloth/there was description that she was their mother, but I can't find it it)

Blue silver is a metal born from the same mother as the archers themselves, and provides protection from magic and frost/Tall oval shield made of metal carried by young Albinaurics. The ornamentation represents the primordial drop of dew from which they are said to have been created Doesn't it remind you of something? Please make certain that little Millicent goes unharmed. Like her mother, she has the stuff to be a great warrior

Strictly speaking, there is no hard evidence that Greyoll or Twinbird were Empyreans/gods, but I wouldn't deny the possibility, given Twinbird's connection to the outer god and the fact that dragons previously ruled the Lands Between. Is this why Misbegotten are called Radagon's children in game files and 1.0 description of Winged Misbegotten ashes called them Radagon's chimeras? Sadly, those lore bits didn't made it in the game, but idea that all this time Radagon was experimenting with his blood in an attempt to create Empyrean child is fascinating.

As I said before, the biggest issue with this theory is the difference between basic offshoots like Millicent, Empyrean children and Empyrean alter-egos. What draws the line between them? So far I can suggest this explanation: alter-egos - byproducts of Empyrean/god growning a new governing plant, offshoots - random sprouts, unwanted children, but the nature of Empyrean children is still rather mysterious. Were they born from M/R blood or because the Erdtree felt like it? What I've found especially interesting is that the state of the Erdtree possibly influenced M-twins. I've been writing a lot about the fact that the Erdtree is dying and it is confirmed by Miyazaki himself in the interview that the Order and the embodiement of it are not eternal. A lot of descriptions in game are talking about it:

The Erdtree once flourished with abundance—yet it was only for a fleeting moment. Such is the course of all life

Malenia and Miquella are feeble and sickly chiildren, who need a special treatment. Malenia should bloom 3 times before becoming a goddess. Miquella was growing himself into Haligtree.

They are premature babies. It's commonly believed that M-twins are cursed because EN translation of Malenia's remembrance invented things that don't exist in JP, but I think they born so messed up for s different reason. The Erdtree was old and dying and produced a pair of fragile Empyreans.

In this post I was rambling about divine blood and its connection with the different plants and I almost forgot about Warrior Jars. Sadly, in my current save I wasn't able to finish this questline as I finish Volcano Manor's story before From patched Diallos. All I can say is that this quest line only strengthens connection between blood and plants, but I don't know how to interpret it futher. Was it tradition invented by Marika to prolong her age by sending people to water the Erdtree with their blood or was it something that people decided to do following god's example? Could it be that the quality of god's blood is why Two Fingers are changing them?

Contrapoints to this theory: I don't know where to fit that Marika is Numen, who came from another world. Maybe in the times of the Crucible, the rules were different and the birth from the Erdtree is exclusive to the Golden Order age.

I don't know how to explain why Radagon and Marika stats are polar opposites based on their scar/soreseals as if they were spliced in two beings (my OG theory). If he is an offshoot, why is he so different from Marika (unlike Malenia's "daughters")? Of course, this theory is written under assumtion that Melina is Empyrean herself, which raises another question, - why is she burned and bodiless? Is her state reflecting the state of the Erdtree, considering theories that it was burned before - either by Bernahl or Vyke, and now is a spirit? And now when I typed this, I'm almost certain that the Erdtree was burned by Vyke and this is why Melina hates the Flame of Frenzy so much. This theory indeed seems like a missing piece of the puzzle to me.

#elden ring #malenia #miquella #ranni #marika #radagon #melina #lore theories #elden ring lore #tinfoil alert #JP #credits to Tarnished archeologist and Souls Seed #I love this theory #finally Western fandom produced something worthy #reject the Erdtree is Lavos #embrace Radagon is a tree #it's hilarious how much it makes sense once you apply it to the story #but I thought that my Great Original Write Up also made sense #I do feel like it still makes sense and ER is a love story #and being maidenless is more than a meme #this post is incoherent #but I had a lot of fun writing it #tumblr screwed my post again #and this time tags are not problem #idk how to fix it

[juriyuna]

every now and then, i'll see someone ask if magireco would ever broach the topic of teen pregnancy, since it has covered several other difficult real-world issues before. and maybe my brain has been milled into a fine dust but i always think about how this would be an interesting struggle to explore with yuna (and by extension, juri)

yuna's anger, trauma, and constant dehumanization of herself making her feel unfit for motherhood; terrified that she'll end up hurting her child, too... man. we know how protective yuna is of her own from how much she dotes on the girls in her gang, but this love is also part of what makes her suicidal-- she's so scared that the blood on her hands will stain everything she touches.

torn between loving her daughter and feeling that the kindest thing to do would be to give her up to a "normal" household... yuna would want the best for her baby, but she'd be worried that she wouldn't be able to provide that herself. after all, no amount of love can change the fact that she's an oni. would it be cruel to the child to have a monster for a parent? does she even deserve to raise something so innocent, after everything she's done? yuna isn't sure.

then there's the scandal that could spark once the public inevitably learns that the mayor's daughter (and torayamachi's respectable student council president) is pregnant at just 17-18. hasn't even graduated yet and she's having a kid with some low-class delinquent girl. [🐉]

some people would take the news alright- yuna's got a few friends at school who would have her back- but others would definitely start spreading some unsavoury rumours about her. she and hikaru can only do so much damage control, and they'd be powerless on the political front.

(not that yuna would necessarily care how it affects her father's reputation, since she started attending torayamachi academy to spite him, but regardless, i imagine it would only add to the reasons her parents would be less than thrilled about the pregnancy.)

... there's also how young and frail yuna is (higher risk of something going wrong), and the fact that she's a magical girl. she can't fight like this; she'd need others to provide her with grief seeds. it's not like she's leaving all of the fighting to her friends out of laziness or anything, but she'd probably feel like a leech for it. (she'd probably also have to tell hikaru not to push herself too hard; girl would be farming seeds for yuna like there's no tomorrow)

even if this was after the doppel system went global, nobody knows how doppeling could affect expecting mothers. yuna would be devastated if she lost her baby. the idea of her own flesh and blood becoming yet another person she tried and failed to protect would be soul-crushing.

juri's father would take the news alright. he might chew juri out for being irresponsible (even though he knows he's the pot calling the kettle black here), but his biggest hangup would probably be that he's gonna be called "grandpa" when he's not even 40 lmao

juri herself... she loves her family more than anything. family is the reason why she made her wish, and why she busts her chops trying to stay in school. she'd be a great dad!! but she would also be so scared of how her "sickness" could fuck everything up. what if she ends up snapping at her kid and ruining their relationship? what if she gets tangled up in something nasty and it drags their whole family down? what if her kid inherits her "sickness" and struggles with life just as much as she does? it's a lot to wrestle with...

juri would stay in spite of her anxiety, of course. she doesn't wanna cause yuna even more trouble, and she also knows from her own dad that being a single parent is Really Fucking Hard. besides, she's too much of a family man to up and ditch yuna and their (eventual) daughter like that.

(on that note, i like the idea of juri being way more protective of yuna than necessary during the pregnancy. keeps fussing over her to the point that she gets concerned and outright asks juri if something is wrong, haha.)

it's a bit cheesy, but man. something about the contrast of two girls who had planned on killing themselves because of all of the death and suffering they'd caused creating a new life... idk insert some smart-sounding allegory for hope and starting over here i love that stuff

juriyuna as teen parents is just. it's so thematically perfect to me. it covers the whole range from painful to bittersweet to heartwarming, and it would be a really interesting conflict for their characters to have to contend with.

#before anyone asks how: ⚥🐉 #i went this whole entire post without realizing that i might need to explain how juri would even get yuna pregnant in the first place #man i am just lost in the headcanon sauce #obligatory disclaimer that i do not expect this to happen in canon at all; i just like coming up with what-ifs #tbh there are a couple of other ships i think this could work for too but... that's a secret #at least until i get hit by an insomnia-induced lack of judgement and scuttle back in here to fart out some thoughts at 4am #magia record #kureha yuna #ooba juri #juriyuna #hc post #''is this weird to talk about or am i just embarrassed because i'm not used to it?'': a memoir by me